Paper Faces
by Sleeping Moon
Summary: When a new school year starts at Ekoda High, Kuroba Kaito is still no closer to discovering the whereabouts of his missing (and favorite) critic. Could a transfer student, the recently returned Kudo Shinichi, provide the clues he needs to find the Edogawa brat? KaiShin. Fem!Shin.
1. Prologue

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho. I would like to profusely thank and dedicate the prologue to my beta-reader **OnyxKatana**. It wouldn't have been possible without her invaluable advice and creativity!

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When eighteen-year old Kudo Shinichi finished a fifty-page manuscript titled at one o'clock in the morning on the marble kitchen counter, she had vaguely understood what it meant to be in her father's shoes as a novelist. Titled _The Witch's Banquet_ , these pages filled with magic and mystery served a binary purpose: the first as an entry for a contest sponsored by the publishing company of the Detective Samonji series. Secondly, to provide the detective some relief after three sleepless nights combing through the details of a cold case.

The last month had been stressful since Shinichi had returned home in her original form, thanks to Haibara's antidote for an untraceable murder weapon commonly known as APXT4869; the lethal poison should have killed Shinichi when Gin and Vodka had given it to her two years ago after witnessing their shady business at the amusement park Tropical Land. Instead, the detective experienced a rare side effect and shrunk to a little girl who would later be called Edogawa Agatha.

However, when it was time for two childhood friends to have an overdue and proper conversation, Ran had been righteously furious at Shinichi; she had cried after the truth had been revealed, and said it was selfish of the detective to make her friend worried sick when she had been by Ran's side the whole time. And even with the excuse that the Black Organization could have killed everyone they knew as soon who the pint-sized brat with glasses was, it did not justify the anxiety Ran felt every time she picked up the phone.

Desiring for a fresh start and away from people she simply did not recognize anymore, Shinichi reluctantly called her parents for help. Living in Japan had gotten more expensive since the global recession, especially when the average rent for a studio apartment outside of the city was around 98,000 yen. After spending almost two weeks of online research that included a careful examination of criminal activity in each neighborhood, the detective finally signed the lease contract for Room 223 at Clyro Villa. The monthly rent was 65,000 yen and located five miles from her new school, Ekoda High.

But even with these changes….would life really be any different from a detective who literally runs into dead bodies wherever she went?

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Please send feedback or thoughts on the story in the form of a review. Thank you!


	2. Chapter One

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho.

This chapter has been edited by **OnyxKatana**. A shout-out to the beta whose creativity and awesome ideas never ceases to astound me! :) Some of these concepts were included here. Thanks again for all of your help, my dear! :)

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If there was one thing that Kuroba Kaito enjoyed doing above all else, it was being able to put a good show. A sleigh of the hand here, and an optical illusion there with the occasional smoke pellet, anything was possible. His magic was an art; and when there is an artist who waits for his calling card to be solved, there is a critic who has already figured out what will KID will steal under the full moon. Unfortunately, one of the downsides to being an intelligent and charming gentleman thief was the lack of excitement.

Albeit incredibly dedicated to his job - and lifelong mission - of arresting KID, Inspector Nakamori was typically drawn into chasing a inflated dummy or shutting off the defensive measures instead of wisely making sure that the elusive young man was not still on the scene or only pretending to have bypassed security. Hakuba Saguru? Let us not journey there dear readers, for it would take too long to explain and Kaito really does not like the uppity prat.

With the newest member of the KID task force also being a student at Ekoda High, Kaito's nightlife took a turn for the worse: he grew even more restless in his search for Pandora, therefore the tricks and traps for each heist grew in both hilarity and mischief. At the pace he was going, it almost seemed possible that flipping Aoko's skirt to every day just to dodge her deadly expertise with a mop would give Kaito that rush of adrenaline he needed before slipping further into boredom.

But on the night that KID would steal the Black Star from the Suzuki Financial Group, he found a little girl on the roof of the Haido City Hotel, telling him to look at the pretty fireworks. This brat was introduced as Edogawa Agatha; a ward to the famous detective Mouri Kogoro, who had possessed a sardonic smirk and keen intellect behind those thick glasses.

Finally. _Finally_ , there was someone he could have fun with after all of this time!

Before he even realized it, and against the advice of Jii, Kaito's alter ego started to subtly bringing the Mouri family to a heist location just to confirm the kid that was with them. And when the magician and Meitantei-chan were alone on a rooftop, their game of cat and mouse began.

Wits were exchanged, followed by whizzing cards and soccer balls until either of them heard the task force catching up to them. KID returned what he stole, flew away via hand glider, and the riveting cycle would repeat.

That night had not been any different.

KID sent Inspector Nakamori a calling card, proclaiming that he would steal Apollo's Chariot at 10 P.M. from the Ekoda Art Museum. Judging by the diameter of the world's largest sunstone and the rich lore behind it, the phantom thief was almost certain that his target was the mythical gem he had been seeking for an eternity. Once he made sure the pieces and the players - including his beloved critic - were in their proper place, KID commenced the countdown to his performance as an unassuming server at the buffet table.

 _Four._

 _Three_

 _Two._

 _One!_

With the push of a hidden button that was modified to fit and remain unseen on his silver name tag, the power in the room went out. The darkness and the crowd's diverted attention allowed KID to slip his way to Apollo's Chariot and steal it without being seen. Once the spoils of this evening were safely snuggled in his pocket, the thief pressed the name tag again. In an instant the gallery was filled with bright light again, and KID stood on top of the glass display with an impish smirk on his face that followed with a flourish bow.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman~!" He greeted the stunned guests in perfect English.

"KID!"

At the sound of Inspector Nakamori's irate voice, another show with KID had begun. The task force tried to grab the gentleman in white but were quickly distracted with yet another smoke pellet and an inflated dummy that was heading towards the museum's south wing.

Again taking advantage of the distracted guests and police, KID began running in the direction of the west wing but he was not alone. Tantei-san and Meintantei-chan were on his tail.

Deciding to give the British sleuth a little reward for his efforts, a trap was remotely activated as soon Meitantei-chan's little feet landed on the nineteenth stair. Within seconds Tantei-san was covered in purple, glittery smoke. The reception KID was music to his ears; loud coughing, followed by Tantei-san cursing at the top of his lungs. The thief sniggered. _Just wait until you look in the mirror tomorrow, you bastard!_

But as much fun as it had been to prank Tantei-san, there was no sweeter vice for KID than clashing with his favorite detective. That was the highlight of this performance, a grand finale before taking one final bow to the audience!

Since he had a longer stride than Meintantei-chan, KID reached the rooftop first and casually stood near its edge with a shark-like smile stretched across his face. Seconds later, his opponent appeared; for some strange reason, however, KID could not see any smirk on her little face. Meitantei-chan looked...impassive? No, that was not the right word. Tired? Yes, that was it! His critic was tired.

KID ever so slightly a brow. "Penny for your thoughts, Meitantei-chan?" With a flick of his gloved wrist, a 10-yen copper coin appeared. When she did not immediately respond with sarcasm or even a snarky comment, the gentleman thief started to get curious. Why was his critic sulking? There was no fun in engaging a battle of wits if her head was not in the game!

KID opened his mouth to badger the Edogawa brat even further until her soft voice carried over the wind.

"This is not Reichenbach Falls, but I guess it will have to do," Meitantei-chan placed a finger on the belt around her waist. "Let's make this round of cat and mouse into our best one yet, shall we?" She pressed the buckle, and out came a soccer ball. KID was so surprised to hear those words that he almost got smacked in the face by the damned thing, had he not pulled the trigger of his card gun a second later, instantly deflating the flying object.

At that very moment, their game had begun.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed; between dodging flying projectiles and feeling that wonderful, thumping adrenaline flowing their veins, it almost seemed like KID and the KID Killer were trapped in a world of their design while the task force were caught in heaven knows what mechanisms the thief had planted in the museum tonight.

Sadly though, exhaustion soon kicked in and ended the evening duel with a draw. Huffing, KID pulled out Apollo's Chariot to the moonlight and looked at it carefully through his monocle. The sunstone shined beautifully, yet there was not a hint of dark red in its core.

This gem was not Pandora.

KID frowned in disappointment, but the expression was soon wiped off his face when Meitantei-chan broke the silence between them.

"Can you please do me one last favor?"

Indigo-dyed orbs widened a fraction at the uncharacteristic meekness in his critic's voice before KID averted his attention back to her. He watched the brat carefully remove her glasses, then threw them at him. The thief easily caught them but grew even more confused at Meitantei-chan's bizarre behavior.

"Brat?"

The KID Killer exhaled a deep breath and then held out her hand. " First of all I need that jewel back, KID, it doesn't belong to you. And...I just want say thanks, you know, for going all out tonight. You were a worthy adversary, the best I've ever known. But...it's time to say good-bye."

KID looked at the tiny girl with a vague hint of expression painted on his trademark poker face for a less than a minute until he stepped forward to take her tiny hand in his much larger one. Giving her a firm handshake, he pressed Apollo's Chariot into her palm. He was still hopelessly confused by his little critic's behavior, but he gave her his trademark grin, and stepped back to the edge.

"See you around then, Meitantei-chan~!"

But little did KID realize as he sailed across the night sky, this evening's performance was truly the last heist Edogawa Agatha would ever attend.

When he send out a calling card to the police that he the supposedly cursed gem Black Widow from its illustrious owners, KID was disappointed to only see his regular guests Tantei-san and Inspector Nakamori in the audience, therefore making tonight's show much more boring when Meintantei-chan is not around. After he examined the onyx jewel under the moonlight and returned it, KID escaped from the museum's rooftop and pondered what Agatha said to him almost three weeks ago.

" _You were a worthy adversary, the best I've ever known. But...it's time to say good-bye."_

 _Good-bye? What_ _did Meitantei-chan mean by saying good-bye? Is she gonna be busy in school when summer vacation is over or something_? KID frowned at the thought momentarily before he brushed that thought away with a sly grin. _Nah, it isn't possible! Even if she is in elementary school, Meitantei-chan always makes time to come see my shows! She'll definitely show up for the next one!_

But when KID's next heist arrived his critic was still not there in the audience, nor at the one that took place a month later. Before the teenage thief even realized it, almost two months have gone by and a new semester at Ekoda High would begin very soon.

Yet the question that plaguing KID's mind was: Where is Edogawa Agatha?

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 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed or favorited. I hope this chapter has lived up to all of your expectations, especially with the introduction of Kuroba Kaito and his alter-ego KID! Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism**

 **Thanks and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! :)**


	3. Chapter Two

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho.

This chapter has been edited by **OnyxKatana** with some of her original ideas added to the content. I cannot thank her enough for helping me with the dreaded disease known as writer's block, therefore the second chapter of _Paper Faces_ is solely dedicated to my brilliant beta-reader and good friend from across the pond.

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To say that Nakamori Aoko was worried about her best friend would be a gross understatement. Having being acquainted with the one and only infamous Kuroba Kaito for a decade (give or take an additional two months), she was exposed to many aspects related to him; extreme energy levels, random pranks, an ever-present grin and an instinctive instruction to 'expect the unexpected'. In fact, Aoko would probably would not even bat an eye if the ceiling exploded into feathers, or if the desks suddenly turned blue, and the doorframe sprouted flowers of different colors or sizes (she still had no idea how Kaito managed to pull off that particular prank on their last day of school). Being around this hyperactive teenager as both a classmate and next door neighbor kept Aoko on her toes, wary of what could possibly happen next. She had to be prepared to counter anything with a mop at a moment's notice. Yet the most prominent element of Kaito's shenanigans was the quiet spell; this usually meant that he was plotting, something so grand that he could not keep up with his usual repertoire of pranks.

That reasoning made Aoko even more worried, and with good reason. Kaito's period of silence has extended from a few days to the past month or so. Oh, he certainly performed some mischief here and there, but it seemed like his whole heart was not in them. Even Hakuba-kun's hair has stayed absolutely blonde for three months now!

At first, Aoko concluded that Kaito was taking a break to prepare for their final exams before their second year of high school ended. However, the March exams came and went with Kaito achieving top scores in every subject as usual. He had been relatively calm over the break too. When all of these factors were pieced together along with Aoko's sixth sense, something was very, very off with 'Bakaito'.

Once Aoko stepped into her homeroom, Class 3-C, her baby-blue orbs landed on a certain messy-haired magician. True to his hyperactivity, Kaito could not sit still. He was playing around with a deck of cards, flipping them effortlessly with his fingers, making them dance at his command. At her entrance, he looked up from the now levitating card and smirked, instantly bringing them back to a single deck in his hand. Kaito's eyes danced with humor as he greeted his old friend.

"Ohayou, Ahouko! It's the first day of the new school year, you know. I thought you would at least 'try' to make an effort and look like a girl for once."

Aoko frowned and opened her mouth to say something equally malicious, but the only sound that escaped the teenager was a loud shriek when a hand sneakily flipped her skirt upwards. Immediately brandishing a mop from seemingly out of nowhere, another game of cat-and-mouse between childhood friends commenced. Engrossed with the desire to pummel the jerk, Aoko did not see or hear the door open, much less acknowledge the presence of the homeroom teacher and the young lady standing next to him. That is, until Kaito performed another skirt flip on the nearest person.

The victim, instead of having her panties exposed to the classroom, was seen wearing an unattractive pair of black running shorts beneath the knee-length skirt.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

This outcry of disbelief came from both Kaito and Aoko, though for very different reasons; the magician was not used to seeing anything aside from panties (lacy, polka dots, T-back, you name it he is more than likely catch a glimpse of them), while his childhood friend was appalled at the inappropriate behavior (a shameless pervert Bakaito may be, he at least waited a few weeks before he flipped someone else's skinny, much less try to pick the lock to the girls' changing room!)

A tense, thick silence fell upon Class 3-C until its homeroom Akiba-sensei - a remarkably average middle-aged man who had an unrivaled displeasure for students who were not diligent in their studies - broke it with a cough and unimpressed frown.

"Nakamori-san, Kuroba-san, as seniors I thought your conduct in class has vastly improved so as to set an example to your underclassmen, but it seems that I've been proven wrong," Akiba-sensei then glanced at the silent young lady who stood beside him with a slightly amused expression on her pale face and sighed. It was the first day of school and already he was getting a damned headache.

"This is Kudo Shinichi. For reasons she has no obligation to give you unless she says otherwise, she has transferred to our school in time for the new semester. And you will all help her adjust. Do I make myself clear, class?"

Aoko's blue eyes widened as her teacher's words sunk in and the whole class began to softly murmur their transparent curiosity to the person sitting next to them. Every now and again, she heard from either her father or the task force that there was a detective who hailed from the East, a remarkable person who is singlehandedly responsible for the tutelage of the famous KID Killer. But never in a million years did Aoko think that such a cool person would be part of her class!

 _Still_ , The brunette thought as she watched Kudo-san take an empty seat a few rows toward the middle of the room, _Why does she look like she would bolt at any second?_

xPFx

Homeroom, as Shinichi had predicted, lasted about ten minutes before she was dismissed to her first class of the day, Trigonometry. A smile threatened to stretch across her lips as she relined in her seat ever so slightly, but the detective refrained herself from getting too excited. Never in her wildest dreams would Shinichi find her nimble mind ready to dive into studying an advanced class like Trigonometry or even English; mind you, while the young woman in question was pretty proficient in both subjects, she still harbored a bias against them like every other high schooler.

Though after being forced to relearn multiplication tables up to 12 as her 'cousin' Edogawa Agatha, it was a change of pace she warmly welcomed: agonizingly easy lessons for more age-appropriate material.

While Shinonome-sensei was explaining a problem on the board to the class (one that Shinichi had already solved five minutes ago), the teenage sleuth took the opportunity to look around the classroom. Shinichi hadn't done much in Homeroom other than listen to Akiba-sensei's lecture since she had to pick up her textbooks and other items at the administration building. Besides, the starstruck class had been sending Shinichi not-so-discreet glances and whispering non-stop after being introduced to them. It was better to mind her own business and survey her new environment later.

The classrooms were rather spacious and open. Sunlight steamed in through the large windows and filled the room with natural light. The students seemed nice enough, though were currently still spellbound at having another famous detective at their school; the first one was Hakuba Saguru, but he had been summoned back to London for an emergency, hence why he was not present in Homeroom or the current lecture of Trigonometry.

It was times like this that Shinichi wished her arrogance had not outweighed her common sense; carried away by the media as they recorded her growing collaboration with Inpector Megure and the police on complicated cases, pleased when she got fan mail from the postman, etc. After being constantly exposed to the public in such a manner for an extended period of time, the young woman eventually crowned with a moniker that sticks to her side like a nasty thorn. A name she wanted nothing more to discard after seeing so much in the last two years as the Sleeping Kogoro's reluctant puppet-master.

Detective of the East.

But Shinichi just wanted to be...Shinichi. A high school senior with no jinx of someone dropping dead wherever she went (Before she left her apartment, the teenage genius sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening that there wouldn't be a murder in the school. She did not need that on her first day. Or any day, preferably).

Shinichi's thoughts were soon interrupted by the shrill bell echoing from the PA system, signaling the end of the lesson. Shinonome-sensei gathered her papers and prepared to leave the classroom. At the sliding door, she turned and looked at Shinichi. "Kudo-san, I hope you're not having problems due to the transfer. If you need any help, you can meet me after classes." The detective responded with a curt and polite nod, and then the teacher left the class.

This particular routine continued throughout the day, with every lecturer telling Shinichi the same thing and that they hoped she would like it here. A quick glanced at her schedule informed her that it was now break time. She had brought her own lunch to class: white race, pickled vegetables, and some leftover chicken curry from the other night. Living on her own for so long turned the detective into a decent cook, though she still had to wake up extra early to put everything together in a blue _bento_ box.

And in truth, Shinichi's culinary skills left a lot to be desired when it was compared to Ran's.

The detective felt a twinge of pain at the thought of her childhood friend. Ran...she had been so angry at their reunion. Although Shinichi understood why Ran acted the way she did, the reasons behind those heartbreaking emotions, it did not mean that the dark-haired teenager felt any less bad for what happened.

Shinichi tried to do whatever was best at the time, considering the messed-up circumstances she was trapped in. She _tried_ to keep Ran and everyone else safe from the -

"Hello, Kudo-san!"

Shinichi snapped up her head so fast that she almost got whiplash. A tiny girl with chestnut-colored tresses in pigtails stood right in front of her desk. The student's round glasses were perched on top of her freckled nose as she smiled at the startled sleuth, oblivious to Shinichi's inner turmoil, and held out her hand.

"My name is Momoi Keiko. It's nice to meet you!"

"Kudo Shinichi."

The detective grasped Momoi-san's hand and shook it in a daze (her mind quickly deduced that this girl had a penchant for sketching and didn't participate in any sports, if the graphite dust on her fingertips were any indication).

"Kudo-chan, it really is a pleasant surprise to see you here. I hope you'll settle in soon!"

Shinichi tried to shake off her anxiety with a subtle shrug. "I needed a change of pace, and I decided on Ekoda. So here I am." _That should be a good enough fraction of the truth to satisfy her curiosity._ The sleuth mentally added.

Momoi-san blinked once, then twice until an astonished small gasp her mouth. "Wow! Kudo-chan! You look a lot like a close friend of mine. Hang on, let me introduce you to her. Oi, Aoko-chan! Come over here!" With her back turned to the transfer student, Momoi-san did not see the mechanical smile that suddenly appeared on Shinichi's face.

The sleuth had a feeling that after being introduced to whoever Aoko-chan was, she would have no choice but to meet more people than she felt comfortable with on her first day. Shinichi could already hear her classmates' whispering again, hearing shortened sentences that were heavily punctuated with words she had been hearing since Trigonometry class.

Weird detective girl.

Missing for a year.

Detective of the East.

"Kudo-chan, this is Nakamori Aoko. Aoko-chan, this is -"

Shinichi did not hear the rest of Momoi-san's words as she felt her breath hitch in utter shock, followed by the feeling of her blood growing cold. The girl standing next to Momoi-san...

No. It couldn't be Ran. It just couldn't. But she looked so similar to her old friend with those wide, baby-blue eyes. Yet upon closer inspection, this girl's chestnut-colored hair was shorter and messier than Ran's. Furthermore, Momoi-san had introduced her friend as Nakamori Aoko.

"Kudo-chan? Are you all right? You look a little pale." Momoi-san asked with a hint of concern in her soft voice. Shinichi quickly regained her composure and smiled at them.

"Kudo Shinichi, pleased to meet you. I hope we will get along this year."

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 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed or favorited. Our famous class magician and his anti-KID friend have at last been introduced! I really hope you have enjoyed reading this chapter. Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism.**


	4. Chapter Three

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho.

This chapter has been edited by **OnyxKatana** with some of her ideas added to the context. Thanks again for your help, my dear! :) I hope the third segment of _Paper Faces_ will bring the magic and mystery that everyone has been waiting for!

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Playing the part as a compulsive trickster with a penchant for spying on the ladies served a purpose for Kuroba Kaito. The first reason is that the size of the classroom made an ideal environment to evaluate the effects of a new trick that may or may not be used by his alter-ego at a heist, and no one would be none the wiser (the exception being a certain British bastard). Next, was to practice his Poker Face. Regardless of his surroundings and the cards that his opponent or KID himself had in his hands, any facial reaction must not be visible to the audience whatsoever.

Yet a week prior to a new semester at his school, the elusive phantom thief found himself staring at a dry erase white board, decorated with photographs and lined paper that were intricately connected by red yarn. _But should I still wear a Poker Face when I have no idea where my critic is?_ The young man's little grey cells buzzed actively, pulsing with thoughts and the leftover adrenaline from a heist that took concluded only an hour ago.

Kaito prided himself on the fact that there were very few things that could ruffle him. However, a magician without his critic? Unacceptable. It was an outrage. _How could Meitantei-chan do this to me? This is the third performance I've put on this month and she still hasn't shown up!_ He grimaced slightly. _And I would have done at least five or six of them, if that woman hadn't suddenly decided come home and say that I need to study before classes start up again!_

'That woman' was none other than Kuroba Chikage, the wayward matriarch of the household.

Like any other mother, she worried over her son. Due to the fact that Kaito decided had become the most wanted criminal in Japan to lure out his father's killers, her worries were at a whole different level. She knew how much her son loved magic, and projecting them through the facade as KID. Being married to Toichi, the previous Kaito KID, had given Chikage a first-hand experience on how the men on her husband's side of the family had a tendency of getting carried away with their magic, simultaneously ignoring the most obvious (and important) things. What Chikage did not know was that Toichi pulled all of those stunts just to annoy her. His wife's reactions were far too amusing to pass up. But that is a story for another time.

Since Kaito would now be enrolled at Ekoda High as a senior, Chikage had taken a excursion from her world tour to came back to Japan without as much a text to her son. She wanted to make sure that he would put enough efforts into his senior year and get into a good college. And so, Kaito's house arrest had begun.

Day in and day out, Chikage would almost be breathing down his neck as she badgered him to study. For the first week, Kaito went along with it, and actually did nothing but study. However, with his high intellect and eidetic memory, it took him far less time than an average high-school senior. In one week, he had made a major dent in the syllabus for the whole year. A week turned into two, then three. But when Chikage's insisting didn't lessen in the slightest, Kaito started to get annoyed. He convinced his mother to let him plan the occasional heist, because he needed to keep the Police Department on their toes.

As soon as he was granted permission to cause mischief, the teenage magician spent three days planning to steal this evening's spoils: The Tell-Tale Heart. True to its title, this abstract painting depicted a scene from one of Edgar Allan Poe's famous short stories. But what made its market value skyrocket to almost 600 million yen was the large heart-shaped ruby stitched to the canvas. With its size and value, it _could_ possibly be the gem KID had been searching for the last two years.

The theft had been executed with flawless precision and pleasant results. The Police Department was stumped by his riddle, Nakamori swore beautifully at the top of his lungs, and Hakuba's hair turned green for a change. But alas, the Tell-Tale Heart revealed nothing under the moonlight. And Edogawa Agatha was still nowhere to be seen.

It had been over a month since he last met his little critic, and by now, the Phantom Thief 1412 was worried. The grim possibility of no witty banter or flying soccer balls at his heists was suddenly looking rather real. Which is what brings us to the current scenario of Kaito looking at his board, which is filled with information about Edogawa Agatha.

When KID's civilian identity decided to take action by going through his memories and pull out every reference he could find about the KID Killer. The information that Kaito had gathered filled up almost five lined pages, so the teenage magician had narrow and highlight the following clues that would possibly aid KID's search:

 **1\. Edogawa Agatha is estimated to be 7-8 years old, enrolled as a student at Teitan Elementary. Seen with group of children who call themselves The Detective Boys. KID met them during Kirin's Horn and Artemis' Teardrop heists.**

 **2\. Ward of Mouri Kogoro. Main guardian is Mouri Ran, age 17. Very fond of the latter. Referred as 'Ran-neechan'.**

 **3\. Sometimes seen with an engineer named Agasa Hiroshi in Beika. Address is District 2, Block 22. KID disguised as him during Luna Memoria heist. Possible inventor of KID Killer's evil, dispensable soccer belt?**

KID looked over the clipped notes with a crinkled brow and glanced at the board again before he clenched them tightly in his fist. He had gone over them twice now, but to no avail. There was nothing that could led him to Meitantei-chan's whereabouts.

He had sent a few doves to Mouri Detective Agency, but they had come back with nothing useful. The recordings they brought back contained only Kogoro's ranting about having no clients and his daughter scolding him about drinking alcohol after he has his first cup of coffee. Neither of them had mentioned the pint-sized brat whatsoever. Even so, KID kept sending his beloved birds at regular intervals with the hope that he will receive some speck of information from them in the near future.

Kaito even pulled on the KID suit and went to the inventor's house. However, his reconnaissance had been fruitless. He had bugged the place, but he got no results. The man was either talking to some neighbor about someone named "Shin-chan" or was caught in the explosion of another botched experiment.

Not exactly the ideal person for the search of a miniature detective. Still, the teenage magician could not afford to be picky; he needed to find Meintantei-chan. If not to ease his boredom, then at least assure himself that she is all right.

Indigo orbs scanned the board again, hoping that there was a clue he had overlooked in his desperation to find Meitantei-chan. But alas, his efforts were in vain; any and everything that there was to know about the KID Killer stared at his face, and there was nothing to explain why she had disappeared without a trace.

Kaito smirked sadly. _You've always done the impossible, Meitantei-chan. Making a Phantom Thief turn to an rival's line of work as means to find you? Heh. You should be proud of yourself_. Just as his melancholy train of thought could go any further, the teen magician was jerked from his musings by a familiar voice that was laced with sweetness and downright irritation.

"Bakaito! Come on out, you idiot!"

Ah, there was no doubt about it. The culprit calling out to him was none other than his childhood friend and next door neighbor Nakamori Aoko. A minute passed before she called out to him again.

"Oi, where are you?!"

Deciding to conclude this evening's search for the Edogawa brat, Kaito decided to humor himself and answer to Aoko's summoning. It was not like the board was going to grow legs and leave the secret room, much less his notes. Furthermore, Aoko's presence eases his worried mind; granted she shared more traits with her father than she would ever admit in public, especially if KID escaped from the task force at a heist, but Kaito did miss his best friend through his "house arrest".

Activating the entry and exit mechanism of the secret room, Kaito made sure that the portrait of his father was secure before he was comfortable enough to go out on the balcony and speak to Aoko.

"Sheesh, Ahouko. Yelling like this so late at night. What would the neighbors think?"

Almost immediately the young man was blessed with the sight of the girl glaring at him, her cheeks flushed before crossing her arms. "Shut up! I wouldn't have had to yell like that a second time if a certain magician answered me out sooner!"

Kaito just raised a brow at his friend. "I wasn't in my room, genius. I could hear you yelling from downstairs." His response was a flat-out lie, but it wasn't like Aoko was actually going to confirm his alibi. He had been downstairs, technically. Just not the "downstairs" area she would have thought first.

"Oh. Well, in that case, sorry."

Kaito caught the dejected look on her face before it quickly disappeared. She was really upset over something. And he had a very good idea of what it could be.

"Oi Aoko, why don't you come over for a little while and save my sanity from this cruel imprisonment? Plus I've got a new trick that I'm itching to try out when school starts up again, but I want to show it you first."

Aoko's sky-blue eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she nodded with a small smile, quickly going back inside her home. The magician chuckled. Silly girl! She was predictable. Nine times out of ten, the subject Aoko would be discussing with him tonight is about KID, how the phantom thief's presence drove her father bonkers, and why the hell did he have to reappear after a nine-year absence.

True to Kaito's word, that was exactly how the rest of the night transpired. After Aoko sweet-talked Chikage into letting Kaito have a visitor for a while, she proceeded to rant about KID and exactly what she thought of his antics. Kaito patiently listened to her, occasionally dropping in his own two cents. Then suddenly, Aoko said something that arrested all of his attention.

"It's not fair! If Edogawa-chan was there, maybe she could have helped Dad catch KID this time. But she hasn't come to the last few heists."

Kaito perked up. Here was a conversation he looked forward to. He felt bad about using his best friend for information, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Do you know where she's gone? Your father might know something." The magician asked nonchalantly, subtracting any obvious interest in both his voice and body language from Aoko's perspective.

The brunette shook her head mournfully. "No, Tou-san doesn't know either. He was wondering about the same thing awhile ago, before he left with his colleagues." Aoko then sighed heavily. "If she was still around, then at least Tou-san would not putting in overtime at the office!"

Well, so much for that idea. His latest hope to locating his little critic had been crushed. If even Inspector Nakamori or his daughter had no idea about the KID Killer's disappearance, then it was solely up to Kaito himself to figure it out.

 _Where are you, Meitantei-chan?_

xPFx

On the morning of April 1st, Kaito found a piping hot breakfast on the kitchen island with a small note attached to his hot chocolate. Satisfied that her dear son was more than academically prepared to start his senior year, Chikage decided to resume traveling around the world but warned Kaito if she hears from Aoko that his grades are slipping, the Kuroba matriarch will be back in Japan faster than he can say 'magic'. It was a warning that the Phantom Thief wisely took into serious consideration as he munched on his meal and gulped down the hot chocolate before heading out the door to Ekoda High.

But when Kaito was about to go grab some bread from the school store after Trigonometry class, Aoko stopped him with the butt of a dripping wet mop pressed against his back. She cheerfully asked him to apologize to "Shinichi-chan" unless he wanted to have her father's 'special' seafood dinner when he got off work tonight.

Kaito resisted the urge to shudder at the mortifying threat to his dignity. Damn... _finny_ things.

"Shinichi-chan" was actually Kudo Shinichi, the new student who transferred this morning in his Homeroom and the very same person whose skirt Kaito accidentally flipped during a scuffle with Aoko. As soon as he turned his attention to the young woman, the teen magician noticed that she was actually very pretty (and thankfully not astonishingly gorgeous like a certain red-eyed witch, or else she might place a curse on poor Shinichi-chan for stealing the attention of their male classmates).

In a sense, Shinichi bore a physical resemblance to his childhood friend though upon closer observation there _were_ some differences. Even though Shinichi's hair was the same length, Aoko possessed a lighter shade of brown that the dark coffee color that their new classmate had. Not to mention the latter's tresses were much tamer than Aoko's. Next were their eyes; Shinichi-chan's orbs were dyed a dark shade of indigo, while Aoko had sky-blue ones.

Shinichi stared at him with an odd expression, a mixture of wariness and curiosity. Given to the incident that happened in Akiba-sensei's class, Kaito automatically assumed that was why she seemed a little skittish. Speaking of which, he really should apologize. The class clown didn't want to get off to a bad start. He then held out his hand and smiled at the new student.

"Kuroba Kaito. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Less than a second passed until she accepted the gesture with a firm handshake of her own. "Kudo Shinichi. And likewise." Kaito chuckled and presented a white tulip to the young woman with a flick of his wrist. "For you. I sincerely apologize for the incident this morning. It was an honest mistake. Also, I really hope that you enjoy your year with us."

Shinichi delicately plucked the peace offering from the magician and twirled it between her fingers before she gave him a dry smile. "Thank you, Kuroba-san. A white tulip, eh? I suppose this would be a literal token of your apology then?"

Kaito was impressed. It was not often he got to meet someone who knew what it meant to give someone a white tulip. He felt the corners of his mouth twist to a cryptic smile. "That's for me and for you to figure out, my dear detective." With a smile and polite bow to both of the girls, he left the classroom to get some lunch.

It looks like this was going to be an interesting semester this year.

* * *

 **Kaito and Shinichi have made their introductions! I wonder how the students will handle the presence of _two_ famous teen sleuths and a world class magician-in-the-making? We will just have to find out, won't we? :) Since Halloween is right around the corner, I thought it would be fitting to feature a jewel that has ties to one of the most well-known authors in Gothic fiction. ****Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism.** **Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists. The amount of support is astonishing and I truly cannot thank my readers enough.**


	5. Chapter Four

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho.

I would like to thank both **OnyxKatana** and **J0kersGirl** for their assistance with this chapter, they have helped me so much with their keen eye for detail and characterization! For these two authors, and everyone else who have stumbled onto the stage of _Paper Faces_ , let the fourth act in this story commence! :)

* * *

Once Nakamori Aoko and Kudo Shinichi were properly introduced by their mutual classmate, the two of them could been almost seen every day together during or after school. The coffee-haired sleuth found her new friend to be a sweet girl with a plucky disposition, and in turn Aoko found Shinichi to mostly keep to herself as well as being a little shy around their peers. Yet, when they were in the company of a certain mischievous magician, the inspector's daughter saw a dry sense of humor emerge from her normally quiet companion. The conversations between Shinichi and Kaito were intellectual and usually held two types of meaning: an "upper" meaning - one where Kaito worshipped magic and KID - and another meaning that was thickly layered with sarcasm as Shinichi cynically kept him grounded. It was weird, but at the same time funny.

While Aoko had no doubt in her mind that Shinichi-chan was brilliant in her own right as a detective like Hakuba-kun, it did not take a genius to deduce that the transfer student needed help adjusting from the hustle and bustle of Beika to the tranquility that was unique to Ekoda. Furthermore, Shinichi had almost been mauled at a supermarket just to purchase some coffee beans and cabbage after their lessons on Saturday; when the young woman explained what happened the following week during lunch break, Aoko decided right then and there that she was the best one for the job. From an early age, Aoko knew everything there was to know about navigating through the local grocery stores to get either the best bargain, avoid the rush hour and which places cut down the prices on certain products for a span of seven minutes or less.

So what was the harm in taking Shinichi under her wing until the brunette was more than certain that such a horrific event will not occur again? Hardly any. Regardless that people always sought out a change of pace in their surroundings, there was always a crowd of vicious housewives pacing around Japan. Even in a quiet city like Ekoda.

And so, the private investigator was made to follow Aoko around the neighborhood with the behavioral pattern of a lost kitten as they ventured through both grocery and clothing stores. However at this point, Shinichi really did resemble a lot like one since she almost got cheated on the purchase of a varsity jacket at one department store. Luckily, Aoko quickly pointed out another place a few feet away sold the exact same item, though for a much better price.

Through her classmate's "teachings" Shinichi learnt a whole new concept about daily life as Aoko gave the detective more than a few helpful hints about anything and everything. While their lessons stretched from one day to almost two weeks, their lessons soon included more visual aids as Aoko simultaneously began showing Shinichi an extensive tour around the inner areas of Ekoda.

By three weeks Shinichi knew that the ramen stand that stood at the intersection of Oomura Ave and 5th Street was the best place to grab a quick, hot and affordable meal. The pastry store precisely four blocks away from school, Sakura Mochi, was a popular hangout for students and served the best dango with a limited discount on their tiramisu on Tuesdays.

However, these frequent shopping trips and random tours around the area quickly came with an almost constant variable at inopportune moments as soon as they started: a dead body.

Even after shrinking to a child through ingesting an untraceable poison and regaining her original body, thanks to Haibara's antidote, Shinichi's 'curse' - bringing only death and pain to those around her, even complete strangers - seemed to remain active. The first time that she had to solve a murder in Ekoda began on April 8th, exactly one week after the semester began and her very first day of shopping lessons.

Aoko had led them to a grocery store, which was crowded with women who were rushing to get dinner ingredients in their baskets to head home at a nearly inhuman speed. Shinichi almost got into an argument with a particularly aggressive housewife who was hell bent on taking the red snapper that the detective aimlessly selected until Aoko pulled her friend and the fish away from the hissing woman before things got worse. The brunette was about to ask if Shinichi was all right until a loud scream broke through the chaos in the supermarket. Aoko looked around frantically around the source of the sound while her companion only released a heavy sigh. Shinichi really should have known better than to place too much hope that her 'curse' had been lifted after moving to Ekoda for a fresh start.

A scream as loud and familiar as that one could only mean that someone had found a cadaver. Again.

Tracing the source of the scream, the two girls soon found a beautiful young woman staring in horror at the remains of a middle-aged man in Aisle 8. Shinichi grimaced at the sight, and looked at her companion with an almost pitying expression on her face. Judging from the shock and raw horror on Aoko's face, this was the first time that her classmate stumbled across a corpse. Yet fortunately, at least there was no blood surrounding the crime scene, much less the body. Being a self-proclaimed veteran from Division One, Shinichi wrapped an arm around Aoko's quivering shoulders and led her a vendor that was handing out free samples of strawberry-kiwi flavored juice. Once a large cup had been purchased and asking Aoko to please stay with the sweet old lady running the stand until everything was over, Shinichi immediately went to work.

After she collected all of the contact information from witnesses on a notepad and calmly ask the panicking store manager to contact the police as soon as possible. Once those objectives had been accomplished, Shinichi carefully observed the scene as she took photos with her phone, taking mental notes of anything unusual while the young woman tuned out the excited hubbub around her. However, the peace was shattered at the moment she heard Inspector Megure call out "Kudo-chan!" in a pleasantly surprised voice that echoed throughout the less than ten seconds, everyone and their gossip-hungry neighbor knew that the famous Detective of the East was present.

Resisting the urge to tell the ogling civilians to politely leave unless they were witnesses to the crime itself, Shinichi focused on the case. She and Inspector Megure exchanged information, talking softly to each other without any flair or theatrics that the coffee-haired woman used to display at the beginning of her career. Satisfied with the conclusion that they both reached, Shinichi excused herself and went to retrieve Aoko from the punch vendor.

The lively girl was still there, quiet and being fretted over by the wizened woman. Some color had returned to Aoko's cheeks, after some of the initial shock had been erased and replaced with an expression of queasiness. Shinichi tentatively approached them before she placed a hand on Aoko's shoulder.

"Oi, Aoko-chan. Are you alright? Do you want me to ask someone to give you a ride home?"

Widened blue orbs just stared vacantly at the concerned detective, unable to completely register her presence until Shinichi snapped her fingers in front of Aoko's face. The sharp sound made the young woman almost jump in surprise. Aoko looked at her friend in surprise.

"Huh? Shinichi-chan?"

Shinichi had to resist the urge to rub her face in exasperation. The coffee-haired classmate was by no means miffed at Aoko's behavior whatsoever, but she was absolutely tired of being a corpse-magnet. Was it really too much to ask for some normalcy in her life? Apparently there was no rest in Japan's criminal underbelly for the Detective of East. All Shinichi wanted to do is spend a little more time observing her new community.

"Yeah, it's me. I think we should call it a day for now. I don't really need groceries today anyway. I have enough food in the apartment until Sunday."

Aoko just nodded before she stood up from the bench. With an apologetic grin, Shinichi took her hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Shinichi thanked the elderly store associate for looking after Aoko and gently pulled her out of the crowded store, and onto the busy avenue that acted as the main artery from their current location to Ekoda's business district during rush hour. The two girls barely walked a few meters when they heard someone calling out to them.

"Kudo-san! Aoko-kun!"

Both of them turned around and saw a young man with blonde-brown hair waving at them as he jogged in their direction, a surprised expression etched on his face. Shinichi internally released a small sigh of relief at seeing the well-dressed teenager. Besides a certain sleuth hailing from Osaka and herself, Hakuba Saguru was probably the only other person who knew how seriously a crime scene can affect someone who was not used to witnessing such a tragedy, much less see a corpse with little to no blood.

"Hakuba-san! What brings you here?" Shinichi asked. He was in the United Kingdom for almost a week due to an emergency, but the dark-haired sleuth heard through the school's grapevine that Hakuba was all caught up with his classes because Aoko was helping him via video chats.

Hakuba graced Shinichi with a polite smile, and turned his attention to Aoko as his jovial mood became even brighter at seeing the inspector's daughter. However, the tranquil moment shattered and his smile was replaced with an expression of concern when he analyzed Aoko's pale and withdrawn face. He then looked at the Detective of the East with a questioning gaze.

"Well, I was on my way home from the bookstore when I heard there had been a death in this supermarket. I just came to investigate. However, from the looks of it, I see a different detective already beat me here," Hakuba explained with a small smirk.

Shinichi's face remained neutral as she stared at him. While she had not been able to know him as herself, Edogawa Agatha remembered that the sleuth from the United Kingdom could be just as territorial as Hattori when it came to handling criminal investigations on their turf. "Not exactly. Aoko-chan and I were in the store looking for a few things when the incident happened. Hardly the ideal shopping experience, in my opinion."

Shinichi discreetly cocked her head towards Aoko. Thankfully, Hakuba was able to quickly connected the dots on why her friend was not acting like herself. If he had not, then the young woman would have lost all faith in him as both an investigator and supposed admirer of Conan Doyle's detective stories. To his credit, Hakuba acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary while he addressed the ladies.

"Oh, that's too bad. However, since we're all here, why don't we go grab a bite to eat? There's a very good restaurant nearby. Aoko-kun, you know the one I'm referring to, don't you? The one where Kuroba pulled off that trick and made the cutlery turn into flowers?"

Shinichi decided not to ask how the magician managed to pull off that peculiar trick. When Aoko asked if she would be coming with him, Shinichi declined and said that she had some work to do at home. "Maybe next time, Aoko-chan. You two have fun. Bye!"

Just as she was about to walk away from the pair, Hakuba mouthed a silent message to his fellow detective: Don't worry, I'll take care of Aoko-kun. Shinichi nodded and left, feeling more at ease to leave her new friend with the young man.

Shinichi's wayward feet led her down the street and passed through the entrance of a local park. She felt incredibly guilty for making Aoko witnessing something as thoughtless and wretched as as an act of murder. After making her first friend since settling in at Clyro Villa, Shinichi wished with all of her weary soul that the darker side of her budding career as a detective would remain unseen for as long as possible.

Perhaps...it would be better, for Aoko's sake, that they should not be associated with each other anymore.

So lost in her thoughts, that Shinichi unintentionally bumped into a lean man with messy brown hair. When she looked up to apologize, her widened sky-blue orbs made contact with equally large, indigo ones.

"I'm so sorry for - Kuroba-kun! What are you doing here?"

Kuroba Kaito rubbed his shoulder with a wry smile. "I could ask you the same thing, Kudo-chan. Though in lieu of answering your question, I was just on my way home from the playground."

The detective's brow shot upwards. "The playground? Aren't you a little too old to be playing on slides and throwing yourself off swings in midair?" A combination of stress and her guilty conscious made the words she spat come out harsher than she intended them to be. Shinichi almost immediately apologized until she saw her classmate just roll his eyes.

"Now, now, Kudo-chan, who said I was there to play? I'm a magician!" The messy-haired young man spread his arms in a dramatic manner, confetti and doves suddenly appearing out of nowhere. "And what sort of a magician would I be if I didn't put on a show once in awhile?"

Shinichi's eyes unintentionally brightened as soon as those words reached her ears. Even though it was an element of her part-time occupation to exploit any tricks that a killer, or magician, used to deceive their audience, that did not exclude the sleuth from at least enjoying an occasional spectacle. KID was an entirely different class compared to the half-baked ones she used to see on the stage. Their tricks bored Shinichi to tears.

With the Phantom Thief, he did not cease to astound the crowd, coming up with new tricks each time he answered his calling card to steal a precious jewel. Ever since she had reverted back to being Shinichi and leaving the identity of Edogawa Agatha behind, the coffee-haired woman had not attended a heist since KID tried to steal the Clock Tower three years ago.

Before Shinichi realized it, she blurted out, "Can you show me something?"

To say that Kaito was surprised would be a gross understatement. He had not expected to cross paths with his classmate outside of school, much less on one of the few days he has off from homework and planning another KID heist. As a testament to the traits of his alter ego, Kaito could easily pick up on certain subtleties within the the blink of an eye. Furthermore, his instincts were telling him that Kudo-chan was upset about something. Her angered tone moments ago spoke volumes, even when she was trying to hide it from him now. One way or another, Kaito was going to get to the bottom of this unexpected mystery.

Besides, it was not everyday that he could display a few new magic tricks with a detective that was not a certain British prat for an audience. It might cheer up his gloomy-looking classmate, plus serve as a diversion from changing Hakuba's hair color. That trick was starting to get a little boring, including the...accessories he added.

"Yeah, why not? However, do you want to go sit somewhere, rather than stand the middle of the street? I'm pretty certain the experience will be better that way." Kaito answered with a smug grin. "The show I'll be putting on might even be too much for you to handle, Kudo-chan!"

Now it was Shinichi's turn to roll her eyes. This guy's smart mouth was going to get him in trouble one of these days. The detective was certain about it. With a inclination of her head, Kaito smiled mischievously before he grabbed her wrist. "Come on! I know a pretty good place not too far from here. Not too big or small for a magician to put on his act for an audience!" And away they went, walking down the street until Kaito led them to a billiards hall called The Blue Parrot.

Shinichi looked at the establishment with a contemplative expression. Aoko had not mentioned anything about this particular part of Ekoda, but the private investigator decided to just go along with whatever plan Kaito had up his sleeve. Worse case scenario, Shinichi could find a soccer ball and use it kick him in the head during class tomorrow as retribution.

Kaito strutted towards the billiards hall with the majestic grace of a peacock, as if he owned the place, with the detective cautiously following him inside. Standing behind a dimly-lit and stocked liquor bar was a bespectacled old man with short white hair, cleaning wine glasses, his back facing the two underage customers. "Jii-san!" Kaito called out. The stranger, whose name Shinichi now knew as 'Jii-san', turned around and looked at the class clown in surprise.

"Bocchan! What brings you here? I thought you were going to come here at the end of the week?" The man asked as he watched Kaito take a seat on a leather stool by the counter. The magician shrugged his shoulders.

"Nah, I thought I'd show a friend around. Oi, Kudo-chan, why are you standing there near the door, being all awkward? Come on!" Kaito said, gesturing the sleuth to the bar. "Relax, he won't bite!"

Jii-san shook his head and politely introduced himself to the young lady as Konosuke Jii, the owner of The Blue Parrot. Shinichi returned his salutations with a polite bow before she took a seat next to Kaito at the bar.

After showing displaying a few tricks that he performed earlier at the park as well as getting Shinichi a cola on the house and a little prying, Kaito learned the story behind her recent behavior. He felt a prickle of annoyance when the detective suggested that maybe it would be better to keep her distance from his childhood friend. Aoko was a really nice girl, and has helped the coffee-haired teenager with settling in her new neighborhood. Even when doing something as mundane as grocery shopping or going to the public library to study, Shinichi still came across more dead bodies than the average Tokyo Metropolitan officer would see in a single year. In the very short time that the magician had known her, he had seen a wide variety of emotions on her face, but defeat was something he had never seen. He immediately decided that it wasn't an expression he liked to see on her. He'd much rather see that smug smile or the dry smirk she usually wore. This had to be rectified. Now.

Once she finished her spiel, Kaito addressed the detective in a slightly irritated tone of voice. "Of all the idiotic decisions you've probably made in your short life this has to be in the top ten, or pretty damn close." Indigo orbs watched the puppy-dog look on Shinichi's face be wiped away with a slightly angered look. _That face definitely suits Kudo-chan more than that the expression she was wearing a few moments ago._ Kaito thought smugly behind his Poker Face.

"E-Excuse me?" Shinichi sputtered.

Kaito waved his hand in a dismissive fashion. "Oh, you're excused. Just tell me if I'm talking to the normal Kudo Shinichi now, or is the defeatist persona still there?" Again, the Detective of the East uncharacteristically croaked a single syllable as she stared wide-eyed at her classmate.

"What?"

Kaito ran his fingers through his already-mussed hair. "Sheesh, and I thought detectives were supposed to be smart. Kudo-chan, I'm seriously doubting your intelligence now. First of all, why would you assume that Aoko would be better off not hanging out with you anymore? If she really stop being friends just because your little shopping trip took a detour, then I would have been blacklisted years ago. Next, what has compelled you to think that keeping your distance from Aoko will make things better? You're a detective! Detectives are supposed to follow the physical evidence they see and use it to solve crimes, right? What happened today was purely coincidental. And it isn't your fault that Aoko saw the crime scene when she did. Because, unfortunately, this is not the first time Aoko has seen a corpse."

"Look up an infamous KID heist on the Internet, with the word 'Nightmare' typed in the search engine. She was there when it happened. Definitely shaken up like any normal person would be in her situation, but at school the next day she was just fine. As much as it pains me to say this," Kaito swallowed his proverbial pride as the next sentence almost made him choke, "I know that Hakuba helped Aoko at that time, and I'm pretty damn sure he's helping her right now. By tomorrow morning, she will be a lot better. So, please, stop beating yourself up over this, and get back to being yourself. Pulling away isn't going to solve this, Shinichi!"

The mischievous magician had not even noticed his voice had risen until he finished talking. His shoulders were heaving as he took deep breaths to calm himself down. Shinichi was silent as she looked at him with wide, unblinking cobalt blue eyes. Kaito waved his hand in front of her shell-shocked face.

"O-Oi, Kudo-chan? Are you still with me?"

Shinichi jerked out of her trance, though remained silent for a few seconds until she asked if Kaito was sure about Aoko in an unsure, squeaky voice. Kaito felt any remaining anger died out and nodded, an earnest expression stretched across his face as he spoke.

"Definitely. I've known Aoko for a long time, and I can guarantee that she'll be bright-eyed and plucky as usual when I flip her skirt in Homeroom!" He added cheekily. Kaito's smile grew larger when he saw Shinichi roll her eyes.

"I still find it hard to believe that you still get full marks in every subject with that devil-may-care attitude of yours."

"It's all part of my charm! Oi Jii-chan, put another cola on my tab! Actually, make that two!"

Even though Shinichi rarely indulged herself in carbonated drinks filled with processed sugar and other harmful chemicals that made up the fizzy beverage in front of her, the sleuth decided to take the plunge and have a sip while observing Kaito's lively interaction with the billiards owner. What Kaito had said just now was true. Until now, she was truly worried that she had blown all and any chance of making a friend in Ekoda after what happened in the supermarket. _Perhaps...trusting Kuroba-san this one time wouldn't be such a bad idea._ Shinichi thought.

xPFx

True to his word, the inspector's daughter was back to her normal self when Shinichi arrived at school the next morning. When the sleuth apologized for what happened the other day, her friend jokingly said that she could make it up by joining her at a KID heist.

Four weeks later Shinichi was returning Aoko's favor by standing outside the Haido City Hotel with an anti-KID poster propped against her shoulder, anxiously waiting for the Moonlight Magician to make his appearance.

* * *

 **Shinichi continues to adjust being in Ekoda while trying to be a normal high school student, though today's performance has included an unexpected murder, advice from a magician, and joining Aoko at a heist with the few but proud anti-KID protesters. What could possibly happen to the Detective of the East now that she has returned to the place where Edogawa Agatha first met Phantom Thief 1412? Decisions, decisions. :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism.** **Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **I hope everyone has enjoyed the show and reached your expectations. See you next illusion. - (KID caricature)**


	6. Chapter Five

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho. Furthermore, I do not have any claim on the historical information that is depicted in this segment of the story. If there is need for corrections, please let me know.

I would like to profusely thank **OnyxKatana** and **neonkoi** for their assistance with the fifth act of _Paper Faces_ , because it would be put on hold for an even longer period of time due to the arrival of snowbirds in my little corner of the world and real life suddenly getting much busier. I hope this chapter will meet the expectation of the readers who have been waiting for the story to update! And so without further ado, please take a seat and enjoy the show! :)

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When Konosuke Jii had heard from Bocchan that he had found a detective worth enough to be KID's critic, the wizened man did not know whether to be happy or silently dread that history is about to repeat itself. Heaven knows he had had enough experience of the cat and mouse game that the first Kaitou KID and the creator of the Night Baron series had played. Jii had sat through many sessions of Toichi pacing the room, trying to think of new ways to stump Kudo Yuusaku. It was almost like seeing a war being conducted; Toichi more extravagant traps for his heists, while the bespectacled critic rushed to decode the riddles sent yours truly. It reminded Jii of an ongoing tennis match with the ball being smashed from one side of the court to another, with a challenge to outdo the previous shot. Now, almost nine years later, Jii was hit by a wave of nostalgia as he watched Kaito pace up and down in the secret room, muttering furiously to himself while being dressed in his KID regalia, minus the trademark top hat.

"No, no, no. This won't work. It's too simple. I need to give Meitantei-chan a challenge. I have a reputation to maintain!"

And then, five minutes later-

"Gah, this is too much. I can't go all out right now. It might seem like I'm showing off. Plus, there's that idiot Hakuba to bother with too."

Jii had only just opened his mouth to offer a suggestion when Kaito jerked, and tensed, becoming perfectly rigid.

"I got it!"

He leaped for a pen and paper, and began scribbling down his plans. Jii closed his mouth. Apparently he did not have to worry about history repeating it, for the wheels of fate have started to turn. And after making a small comparison between the two successors of KID, Kaito was going to be much worse than Toichi had ever been.

Before his mind could ponder any further on his old friend, Jii was jolted back to reality by Kaito's excited voice. "I've done it, Jii-san! This time, when Meitantei-chan shows up, which she will, she's going to be flabbergasted! I'll send you the list of the equipment I'm gonna need, shouldn't be too long! A few days, maybe even tomorrow!"

Seeing the hopeful glimmer in his almost-grandson's eyes, Jii could not bring himself to inform Kaito of an alarming discovery he had made. At least four weeks into the disappearance of the KID Killer, Edogawa Agatha, the thief's civilian identity requested to find her last known whereabouts. Utilizing his computer skills Jii went through every known database, but had turned over nothing that the magician and his assistant did not already know:

1\. Her address at the Mouri Detective Agency.

2\. Listed as an alternative guardian is an inventor named Agasa Hitoshi.

3\. A diligent student at Teitan Elementary.

4\. Mentioned in a few media reports relating to Sleeping Kogoro's famous cases.

There was no information about this troublesome child afterwards, and that was when Jii's suspicions started to increase. Acting on a hunch, he tried to trace her parents in America through the contact details listed but nothing matched up, and there was not even a photograph of them or the KID Killer. In the clearest terms, it was like she had never existed at all. A twisted version of Schrodinger's Cat theory; to be alive, yet at the same time 'dead'.

How could Jii inform Bocchan that the "Meintantei-chan" he was desperately searching was possibly gone, and for good this time?

xPFx

The stage was set. The spotlight was shining. The entire police force, as well the audience outside, waited with bated breath for KID's arrival. One of the junior officers was standing to the side, near the window. He cast a cursory glance around the room. The central banquet hall of the Haido City Hotel was the venue for the United Kingdom's exhibition of priceless jewels, including a large amethyst ring called the King's Phoenix.

Originally named the King's Favorite, it was a piece commissioned by King Henry VIII for his third wife Jane Seymour after she had given birth to his long-awaited male heir. But despite fulfilling the most important duty in her role as a queen consort, she died less than two weeks when her only child had been born due to postnatal complications. Historians speculated that the nickname came from the epitaph from the only wife of Henry VIII to receive a proper queen's funeral during his tyrannical reign. The inscription went something like this:

 _Here lies Jane, a phoenix_

 _Who died in giving another phoenix birth._

 _Let her be mourned, for birds like these_

 _Are rare indeed._

The gem had been brought to Japan for exhibition, but had achieved instant fame when, three days ago, a very fancy scroll had been delivered to the Police Department. Kaitou KID had declared it as his target for his next heist.

And that brings us to the current scenario. The young officer was excited, as it was the first time that he was on the field for a KID heist. He looked around at the other officers who were standing in position, and Inspector Nakamori, who was shouting last minute orders.

"Say, what time is it?"

He turned to look at the young girl next to him. She was barely over sixteen, with long, coffee-colored tresses, and clear blue eyes. Kudo Shinichi, if he remembered correctly. A little while ago, he had seen her talking to Nakamori Aoko and Hakuba Saguru, both of whom were very familiar to the Police Department.

The excited British sleuth had dragged both girls to the banquet hall, and then proceeded to pester Nakamori-keibu about his plan to capture KID. After a long discussion, during which Hakuba had pointed out at least ten things that were wrong with the inspector's plan, he had pulled in the young girl to back his views. Kudo had talked to his superior in a much calmer and more polite manner, and had explained possible loopholes that KID could exploit.

Inspector Nakamori had been more inclined to agree with her, and had made a few changes in the plan, accordingly. It was at this point that Hakuba had issued Kudo an unexpected challenge- which Detective would corner the Phantom Thief first?

xPFx

Kaitou KID swore under his breath as he reached the rooftop of the Haido City Hotel, preparing for take off on his hang-glider. He went all out to make sure this show would be the best one, and that damned brat still didn't come! He sent the heist note on the most expensive paper his measly allowance could afford, used craziest antics and traps that would definitely label him as a psychological nutjob, but the elaborate theft for the King's Favorite went up in proverbial smoke.

The Phantom Thief shook his head in frustration. Everything had gone by perfectly. The room had been plunged into darkness the moment he began his signature "Ladies and gentlemen!" spiel. The magician had successfully avoided all traps and laser alarms before he had taken the ring from its display case. At the very moment that the officers shouted his name, they pulled out their classic 'dog-pile' tactic before being led on a wild goose with Inspector Nakamori as the leader. But the biggest highlight of this heist was transfiguring Tantei-san's blonde hair to a startling shade of violet with glitter.

And yet, in spite of everything, there was no sign of a pint-sized kid with an acidic tongue waiting for him on the rooftop. Seriously, is it really too much to ask for him to see his critic at least once?

KID was about to propel off the roof with the evening's spoils in his pocket until he heard the door be thrown open. His indigo orbs widened in surprise as hope began to bloom in his heart, immediately stopping to see the source of the noise.

"Meitantei-chan! Where were- What the heck are you doing here?"

KID's civilian identity nearly fell into place when he realized who was standing in front of him with a flushed face. Kudo Shinichi. Detective of the East, and a student who recently transferred to Class 3-C in Ekoda High. Kuroba Kaito may know this young woman as the school prankster, Kaitou KID merely knew her via reputation and brief introduction at the Clock Tower heist. In short, this was a different Tantei-chan than the one he had been praying to see tonight.

Nonetheless, the thief did not allow his surprise to show while simultaneously muttering his father's mantra over and over in his mind: Never forget your Poker Face.

He watched the detective closely as she inhaled a deep breath and extended a palm towards him. "Give me the King's Favorite, KID. It belongs to the exhibit." Shinichi said, determined expression dancing in her eyes.

KID tilted his head ever so slightly before a smirk stretched across his face. "I'm afraid I can't do that Tantei-chan. You see, I have taken a shine to this particular jewel and I was thinking about giving it to someone very special when if she came here tonight. But unfortunately she didn't, and I might even hold onto it until she comes back~!"

Shinichi gritted her teeth at the magician's audacity but did not dare let her temper take control of the current situation. Arrogant bastard. The detective as she kept her gaze on him. "I'm asking you nicely, KID. Return the King's Favorite. Now."

The Phantom Thief rolled his eyes. Compared to a certain British prat whose presence oozed with breathtaking boredom, at least this particular Tantei-chan had some spunk. Unfortunately for Kudo Shinichi, she was not the person he wanted to see right now. At this point KID was honestly worried about the pint-sized Meintantei-chan. And the sooner he wrapped up this heist and called it an evening, the sooner he could go back home and resume his search for one Edogawa Agatha. Which meant that the earnest detective would have to take a back seat in the audience until the KID Killer was found.

Having examined the King's Favorite under the moonlight, Kaitou KID concluded that the amethyst ring was not Pandora. There was no reason for him to stick around anymore or else Inspector Nakamori might catch him this time; an emphasis on might, depending on how Aoko was going to be acting tomorrow morning at school. KID took a few steps back until his feet were on the edge and raised his card gun at Shinichi.

"Well, I'm afraid I cannot return the gem right away. But since you've obviously avoided any or all of my traps to trace me here, I suppose I can give you a little gift. It's the least that a magician could for a member of the audience, don't you think?"

KID pulled the trigger and released a single card that landed at the sleuth's feet. Somewhat satisfied with the surprised expression on her pale face, he jumped off the roof and activated his hang-glider.

"Make sure you rub the victory in Tantei-san's face when you see him!" KID hollered with an insufferable grin stretched across his mouth as he took off into the inky skies. Hakuba's expression was _definitely_ going to be worth watching when he realised that Shinichi won the challenge. Maybe he should text Jii to take a picture of it! _To the victor goes the spoils!_ KID cackled in his mind.

Meanwhile, in an isolated area of the heist location, Jii breathed a sigh of relief as the shouts of KID's escape echoed around him via Inspector Nakamori. Despite being fully aware that Kaito was not an amateur when it came to pulling off these heists, the old man still worried about all the what-ifs and what-could-go-wrong possibilities every time he saw Toichi's successor put on the alabaster suit.

He loosened the collar of his security guard's uniform, and prepared to wind up everything and exit the scene. Jii's job as an assistant was over with the conclusion of tonight's show, at least for the time being. After paying close attention to the breached security footage since he set foot in the building, Jii did not see the KID Killer amongst the crowd.

Edogawa Agatha remained absent.

However, just as he was about to shut it down, his eyes landed on the section that showed the rooftop. There was a young woman standing there, and with a face he recognized. Kudo Shinichi, Bocchan's classmate. Yet as he closely examined her physical features, an insignificant piece of information came to mind. It was from an equally unreliable newspaper, yet there was a paragraph on its eighth page that the Detective of the East had a distant cousin living with the famous Sleeping Kogoro.

The relation in question? Why, it was was none other than an honors' student at Teitan Elementary named Edogawa Agatha.

Realizing that he had overlooked a piece of very important information in KID's search for his critic, Jii scrambled to assemble his equipment and leave the Haido City Hotel without being deemed suspicious by the police. He had to tell Bocchan about this development as soon as possible. After what seemed like an eternity, there was at last a new lead on the KID Killer's disappearance.

xPFx

Shinichi sighed heavily as she used her arms and made a makeshift pillow on the desk, burying her face while disappointment danced in dark blue eyes. While she had been able to corner the Phantom Thief at the Haido City Hotel last night with evidence to back up her statement, Inspector Nakamori was...less than pleased with her. Scratch that. The head of the KID Task Force was _pissed_. Both at the Detective of the East and at its own local sleuth.

Apparently it had been bad enough to have Hakuba-san be involved with the heists since he came to Japan almost three years ago, and bringing another brat to pretend being a sleuth was a recipe for disaster. The King's Favorite heist definitely fitted _that_ word like a tailored glove; furthermore, what she brought back to Inspector Nakamori was insufficient in his mind. Shinichi brought him a card with an ace of spades as 'proof' that she cornered the Phantom Thief. Not KID in handcuffs. At that very moment Inspector Nakamori took the card, and in a fit of seemingly righteous anger tore it up to pieces with the order that the young woman was never allowed to come to the heists unless she was part of the audience that stood outside.

Failure to comply would result in being arrested on the change of interfering with police work.

"Besides," Inspector Nakamori snorted as he walked away from the astounded teenagers with his weary men, "You haven't been playing this game with Kaitou KID for as long as I have Kudo-kun. I have the experience, so I'm the one who's earned the right to catch him. Not you, not Hakuba-kun, _me._ "

The detective's eyes glowed with a brief glimmer of sadness before she closed them again. _So much for going to the heists as a reprieve from seeing horrendous crimes on daily basis and using my intelligence without being restrained by fear or idiots with higher-ups on their side._ Shinichi exhaled, jumping slightly when she felt her phone vibrate on the desk. Curious, the Detective of the East punched in her access code and raised an eyebrow at the ID. It was a text message from Kudo Yusaku. What could he want this time?

Shrugging her shoulders, Shinichi unwittingly unlocked Pandora's Box with a single tap on the Messenger icon.

* * *

 **KID and Shinichi have at last met under the moonlight of the very same place where they first met, though this time it isn't the critic that the Phantom Thief has been frantically searching for. But with a new lead discovered by Jii, what lengths will both parties go to in their quest for the truth or to keep it locked up in Pandora's Box? And what exactly does Shinchi's old man want? More magic and mystery on the way!**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism.** **Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **I hope everyone has enjoyed the show and reached your expectations. See you next illusion. - (KID caricature)**


	7. Chapter Six

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner Aoyama Gosho. Furthermore, I do not have any claim on the historical information that is depicted in this segment of the story. If there is need for corrections, please let me know.

Thank you so much for your patience with the publication of Paper _Faces_ 's sixth act! I could not have done without **OnyxKatana** 's advice and creative suggestions. It has gotten very busy with Thanksgiving having passed and now another winter holiday is around the corner! Furthermore, I will be leaving for a trip to the Caribbean and will not be back until it is almost time for Christmas. I sincerely hope that everything will enjoy this early Christmas present! Have a safe and happy holiday!

* * *

From an early age, Shinichi had more in common with her father than anyone else in their small family. The two of them shared an insatiable love for Sherlock Holmes and keen intellect, though Kudo Yuusaku preferred to be known as a novelist despite multiple demonstrations of a Mycroftian tendency to solve a case before others; the latter became especially prominent when his daughter was old enough to take on her very first investigation, and he never got involved unless she could not solve it in time to save another intended victim.

But what the text message he had sent from the sandy beaches of Florida was something he had not even expected. According to an article in the _New York Times_ , a cold case was being reopened that Yuusaku tried to solve eighteen years ago. Yes, the world famous writer had tried and ultimately (with great reluctance) surrendered the investigation to the local police because there was not enough evidence to point out a suspect, much less a murder weapon. Even with those little grey cells that thrummed through his impressive mind, Yusaku was still human. And there were times when even someone such as him could be stumped with a case that seemed so simple, yet the complexity of it went much deeper.

This case happened when Yuusaku had only just started out as a novelist, by participating in a writing contest much like his daughter had just done in the present day. Him and another finalist, Ushiromiya George, had been invited to a special party in their honor by the main sponsor of the competition; Sebastian Borja, the 48-year old head of an illustrious family that through the maternal line, were related to an Italo-Spanish noble clan whom radically change political and ecclesiastical affairs during the Italian Renaissance. The Borgia. To be more specific, Sebastian's ancestor hailed from Gioffre Borgia's bloodline, the youngest brother of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia.

Sebastian Borja had been an avid lover of mysteries and even tried writing a novel himself in that particular genre, though never got a publishing offer. Instead, he opted to invest his funds in helping future generations blossom in the Japanese literary world via competitions and conferences, even setting up a writing magazine called _The Quill_. When he heard that there two finalists in his competition, he eagerly invited them to a gathering he would be hosting in the Kyoto countryside at his winter home. Sebastian wanted to host it at the ancestral home in Italy, but it was currently under renovations.

The party itself had been small; including the two writers and Sebastian himself, there were also his two sons and one daughter, all of them in their mid-twenties. Kudo Yukiko wanted to accompany her husband on the trip so as share the success that his first Night Baron entry had been finally recognized, but at the time she was not well due to being pregnant with Shinichi.

The event had been rather enjoyable, but by the time dinner had finished and Yuusaku had been escorted back to the hotel he was staying at, the legendary Kudo curse struck, possibly for the first time.

Around 8:30 in the evening, an hour after dinner concluded, Sebastian was found dead in his study by the head butler Manuel. A half-eaten apple laid on the ground, with an unpublished manuscript on the desk and a note on top of it.

 _ **It is done - The True Heir of the Borgia Family.**_

Manuel immediately called the local police afterwards. The winter home was examined and Sebastian's family were interrogated but nothing could be found despite all three of his children having motive to off their old man. Each of them wanted to have access to the family fortune, but Sebastian believed that none of them were worthy enough to it much less inherit his current title. So, before the writers arrived for dinner that evening, he proposed a compromise to them: If they can solve an epitaph he has recently created within a time limit at the upcoming family gathering in spring, then Sebastian will award the winner with the ancestral family ring, which bore the House of Borgia family crest from the Renaissance era.

Furthermore the crime scene could only be accessed by two keys that were carried by Manuel and the victim, with the windows could only be opened from the inside. Baring very little evidence, air-tight alibis, and contradictory conditions, the police concluded it to be closed due to circumstantial evidence, and the Borja case file had been shut to be forgotten in some dusty corner within the Kyoto Metropolitan Police department. Even when the budding writer tried to solve the cold case on his own, Yuusaku was unable to come up with any conclusions himself even with the file sitting in front of his dark-blue eyes.

After receiving the text message that even included a link to the article, Shinichi had called her father during her lunch break on the rooftop so as to ensure some privacy between them. Yuusaku told her about the backdrop and details of the event before he came to the current issue.

Now eighteen years after the tragic event, Kudo Yuusaku had been invited to speak at a writer's conference that was being sponsored by the Borja family as well as a dinner party dedicated to well-known mystery writers. Being a guest speaker for a few panels, he had be given tickets and extended the invitation to Shinichi. It had been a long time since the two of them had seen as themselves instead of distant relatives when the dark-haired sleuth had been Edogawa Agatha. However, Yusaku was aware that she had still not fully adjusted to life in Ekoda, and left the decision entirely to her.

However, he felt it would be a good change for Shinichi as the event would take place over her summer break. It would give her a chance to meet other mystery authors and possibly figure out a way to make her sudden passion an alternative career path, or at least another method to de-stress herself from constantly solving homicides on a daily basis. And while she was there, maybe Shinichi she could try her own hand at solving the Borja murder. If his daughter agreed to come to the writers' conference, Yuusaku would send her the tickets and information of the event, including a few more things that might help Shinichi with the Borja investigation.

Before ending the call, Yuusaku remembered something else to mention to Shinichi. He had gotten the email attachment she sent him a few days ago, and that he personally liked the manuscript she sent him. It was similar to Enid Blyton's _Famous Five_ series, though a little too violent for a child to read despite just how realistic murder mysteries progressed. He did not know if it would win the competition she had submitted it to or not, but there was an editor from Nakajima Publishing Group who was interested in the manuscript, and also wished to meet Shinichi. Again, the decision was solely hers; she would have the right to pick a location, and time where she was comfortable meeting him.

The conversation then ended just as the bell rang, but it had given Shinichi a lot to think about, and she was almost zoned out during the next lesson. The class was World History, but it was rather easy for the Detective of the East due to her extensive reading and phenomenal memory. Today, the teacher was discussing the rubric for their end of semester projects and get partners selected via a lottery. Including the preparation of a detailed report on their assigned countries, they also had to bring visual aid related to it during their presentation before the last day of the semester. Shinichi had been so distracted by her own thoughts that she was nearly jerked back to reality by the sound of the teacher's voice.

"Kudo! Kuroba! You will be working together on..." She shuffled around in the bowl of slips before randomly pulling one out.

"France!"

Shinichi turned in her seat to look at the prankster, who had a hugely silly grin on his face. She did not know whether to be happy or sad about the fact that her partner was Kuroba Kaito, genius and prankster extraordinaire.

xPFx

"We are _not_ adding Lupin to the presentation and that is final, Kuroba-san!"

"Yes, we are! He is an important part of France's history!"

An unladylike snort echoed across the empty billiards establishment as Shinichi glared at her project partner. "More like he's an important part in _your_ twisted perspective."

"Oi! He's just as much of an integral component to France's pop culture history as Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes! Monkey Punch even created an anime that's last more than fifty years! Half of a _century_ , Kudo-chan!" Kaito protested. The coffee-haired sleuth could feel her left eye twitching uncontrollably. "You're not seriously going to use that for the project, are you?"

"I think you would too if we'd gotten England to write a paper on instead of France! Especially since you're always talking about Sherlock Holmes so persistently with Hakuba-kun!"

"You don't have to say it like that, you know. And I don't talk about Sherlock Holmes that much." Shinichi deadpanned while Kaito stuck out his tongue at her.

"LIES!"

It almost seemed like a blessing in disguise that there was usually no business for the Blue Parrot on weekend evening, otherwise some of the customers would surely have complained to Jii about the two teenagers who were arguing from their seats at the bar. When school had finished for the day, Shinichi and Kaito decided to get together and outline their project before doing the research. However, the planning had soon escalated into a full scale squabble when the mischievous magician decided to include Arsene Lupin in their six-page report.

In Shinichi's opinion, she did not think it was necessary. Kaito strongly opposed the notion, and neither of them were willing to back down. At some point, their argument evolved into a study of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes versus the equally well-known thief Arsene Lupin.

"Look, I'm telling you that Lupin was better! Holmes admitted it himself!" Kaito exclaimed. Shinichi shook her head and showed him an article on her phone she just pulled up. "No, he didn't. Herlock Sholmes was the one who admitted it, and he is a character that Maurice Leblanc created as a transparent reference to Sherlock Holmes for his collection of short stories in 1908. Get your facts straight!"

"The point is that the Phantom Thief is always a step ahead of the Detective! Whether it's Holmes or Sholmes!" Kaito countered.

"But a good Detective can always catch the Thief, even if the Thief may initially seem be ahead of the Detective."

The teenage magician shot Shinichi an exasperated look. "Oh for the love of - Look at Kaitou KID! He's been outsmarting the entire police force for over a decade now!"

As soon as her partner mentioned Ekoda's local criminal, Shinichi's blue eyes dimmed ever so slightly and she fell silent, being reminded she was exiled from any future KID heists on Inspector Nakamori's orders. But while Kaito started to internally celebrate a supposed victory in this exhausting debate, his pleasure soon subsided to concern when Shinichi remained quiet for almost ten minutes. It did not take long for him to realize that something was wrong, and he was definitely not going to have Kudo-chan wear a frown when she was around him. It definitely wouldn't do at all!

Kaito pouted and leaned towards Shinichi with a pout on his face. "Kudo-chaaannnn! Why do you always turn so gloomy whenever you're with me? Am I that poor company? And here I thought we were best friends! Or pretty damn close." His exaggerated antics were enough to make Shinichi crack a watery smile in his direction before she threw a wadded paper ball in his direction, which the magician easily evaded.

"Shut up, Kuroba-san."

Although she had replied in a snarky tone of voice, Kaito took the half-hearted barb as permission to pull his seat closer to Shinichi and invade her personal space, consequences be damned at a later date. Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day, depending on Shinichi was feeling in class.

"Okay. Now, spill. What did you do to supposedly offend Aoko again?" Kaito asked, resting an elbow on the polished counter as he placed a hand under his chin. "I told you, you've got nothing to worry about! She may not look like it but Ahouko is the sweetest girl around here, and she'll forgive you if there is an apology offered on the table. Seriously."

Realizing that Kaito was not going to let the topic slide back to their joint project, Shinichi responded to his question though it came as an unintelligible mutter. Kaito raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't understand mumbles, Kudo-chan. A little bit louder, if you please."

The Detective of the East exhaled a deep breath and repeated what she just said. "What I was trying to say was that I did not make that Nakamori upset. It's her father whom I pissed off."

"And how, pray tell, did you manage to get into trouble with Inspector Nakamori, of all people? Last I heard was that he wanted to meet you for dinner sometime." The magician asked. He was surprised to be on the receiving end of a very dark glare from the blue-eyed girl.

He had no idea what he had said to deserve that. On realizing his cluelessness as to what was streaming through social media, Shinichi reduced the intensity of her annoyance and picked up her phone again. Exiting out of the screen she had been on a few minutes ago, she typed something in the search engine and pulled up a news article on the King's Favorite Heist before she silently handed it to Kaito.

His surprise increased as he skimmed through it, already familiar with the majority of the contents. After all he had firsthand experience about what happened on the particular night. He was about to hand the phone back to Shinichi until his gaze fell upon the last paragraph in the article.

 ** _As a result, Inspector Nakamori of Division Three has decided to ban famous detective Kudo Shinichi from further involvement with the capture of KID. Should she fail to comply with these orders and continue being a 'meddling twerp with no experience whatsoever', an arrest will be made for interfering with police affairs. "The only person who has the right to capture KID is me! Not some upstart who thinks she is a detective just because she solved a few cases." The veteran commented before he finished the interview._**

Kaito's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates until he instinctively replaced his surprised expression with his Poker Face. The only clue he has leading to Meitantei-chan was now being banned from his performances? He knew that Inspector Nakamori had a firm belief that no one else has a right to capture the Phantom Thief. Yet...he was willing to take it this far? Why? What in the world was going on?!

Nonetheless he gathered his bearings, and looked up at Shinichi with a small smile. In a much softer voice he said, "Cheer up, Kudo-chan. It'll be okay. Inspector Nakamori is just venting out his frustration. I'm sure he didn't mean to say all of these things. Give him a few days to calm down and you'll be back on the heists."

If you asked him at this point, Kaito didn't know whether those words were for Shinichi's benefit or his own.

The coffee-haired girl blinked at him in surprise until she returned his smile with one of her own, though it teemed with subtle despondency. Shinichi shook her head. "Thank you, but I don't think that will happen Kuroba-san. I've met men like him before. When they put their mind on something, they make sure to keep it that way." She shrugged her shoulders. "Guess I will have to decline Aoko-chan's dinner invitation until I hear otherwise." The sleuth picked up her pencil and opened up her World History textbook. "Let's get some work done, okay?"

Kaito frowned. He wanted to dissuade that negative train of thought from Kudo-chan's mind but her body language made it clear: drop the subject. Just as he got out his own materials and began looking, a devious idea came to mind.

Inspector Nakamori believed that he was the only one worthy of catching what better way to reward a decade of such determination and commitment than with an unexpected visit from the Phantom Thief himself?

* * *

 **It looks KID will have a word with the good Inspector, but yet one wonders what exactly will their conversation entail? Could it possibly have something related to Shinichi being banned from any future heists? Time shall tell as will the next performance that KID will perform for his eager audience.**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists. I have also done a collab project with** neonkoi **, a unique crossover between Detective Conan and Miraculous Ladybug titled _Imperfectly Purrfect_. We would love to hear feedback on it!**

 **I hope everyone has enjoyed the show and reached your expectations. See you next illusion. - (KID caricature)**


	8. Chapter Seven

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**. Furthermore, I do not have any claim on the historical information that is depicted in this segment of the story. If there is need for corrections, please let me know.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana** for all of her help and input in the seventh installment of this series! So without further ado, let the show begin!

* * *

 _This **cannot** be happening to me._

This was the singular thought that occupied the little grey cells belonging to a certain coffee-haired teenager as she stood in front of the Ekoda Grand Hall with an ashed expression on her face. Similar to the city hall in Beika, this facility was also used to host large social functions, such as the one that was being held this evening. Tonight there would be a fashion show, revealing an exclusive clothing line only available to the patrons whose pockets were as large as their sponsorship to the imposing building standing imposingly in front of Shinichi. What made this particular event stand out from previous ones that typically had an idol as the face of the product (i.e. Okino Yoko), the inspiration came from none other than the infamous Kaito KID.

Shinichi felt her heart sink lower and lower when Aoko excitedly approached the detective after their last class, revealing four bone-white tickets to her friend and asked if she was free this Sunday evening. Being a devoted police officer in Division Three, especially when KID's heists became involved with many members of Tokyo's wealthiest and influential families, Inspector Nakamori received these special passes as a reward for his work. Unfortunately, however, the mustached man gave them all to his daughter so that she could go with her friends instead, given that the date of the event coincided with another 'performance' of the Phantom Thief at a playhouse that recently opened to the public in Beika.

To an extent, being invited to this fashion show acted as an olive branch from Inspector Nakamori to Shinichi after he forbade her from attending any more heists. Especially after Aoko had discreetly heard about what happened through a certain class prankster, and expressed her displeasure about the situation as well as the unfair treatment towards the teenage sleuth. Once he discussed things with his daughter, Nakamori proposed a compromise: Shinichi will be allowed to attend the heists so as long as she a spectator and accompanied by Aoko at all times. If she kept up this promise over a three month trial or when he deems is more than enough time to trust the Detective of the East again, the police officer might allow Shinichi a front-row seat on the action.

While accepting this agreement gave Shinichi more than enough reason to execute a series of cartwheels from sheer joy, her delight was quickly overshadowed by one detail she suddenly overlooked: a formal occasion meant that she had to sacrifice street clothes for a...dress. Despite what others may think and being the only daughter of retired actress Fujimine Yukiko, Shinichi had zero fashion sense. She just threw on what was comfortable and rolled with the punches, as the American saying goes. Needless to say that after a quick shopping trip with Aoko, Shinichi felt incredibly awkward and out of place in her strapless powder-blue dress; the color supposedly brought out the brightness in her indigo orbs, a statement that the great detective utterly failed to understand.

Furthermore, standing next to her companions for the evening worsened Shinichi's self-esteem further to the point where she felt like a toddler playing dress up. Complimenting her pale skin and subtly amplifying her blossoming beauty, Aoko wore a cherry-red dress that came to her knees with a sheer neckline and matching shawl coiled in between her arms. Hakuba-kun was decked out in a gray-colored three piece suit from a British clothing line called London Fog, something Shinichi had not even heard about and could frankly care less about right now.

But despite these negative emotions floating around her stomach like butterflies, they were not the reason why Shinichi wanted to put as much distance between herself and Ekoda Grand Hall as she possibly could within a ten-minute sprint in her ballet flats. The fashion show was being sponsored by the Suzuki Financial Group. And when the Suzuki Financial Group became involved with a social function, Suzuki Sonoko was bound to be wandering in this sea of influential and wealthy individuals. A Kaitou KID fashion line? This event had Sonoko's name written all over it. Plus the person who had presented the special passes to Inspector Nakamori could be none other than Suzuki Jirokichi, the Senior Advisor of the Suzuki Financial Group and Sonoko's attention-seeking uncle. After going through the trouble to personally deliver them to the police station, Shinichi could not just up and leave without her actions been seen as exceedingly rude.

But most of all, Sonoko's presence also meant that someone else would inevitably be at the event. Mouri Ran.

Even after settling down in Ekoda with the chance to start a clean slate with a new school and some friends, Shinichi did not know if she was ready to face her childhood friend again after their disastrous meeting last time.

Steeling her rattled nerves, Shinichi walked through the front entrance with the pair who followed close behind. It was painfully obvious that Hakuba-kun had an immense affection for Aoko, and she sufficiently returned them; but how can two people not realize that their feelings for each other were reciprocated, even when being right next to each other, was once again Shinichi's comprehension. If Kuroba-san were here….at least she would not feel so out of place being the proverbial 'third wheel' as she did at this very moment. He was someone she could talk to, and easily engage in a conversation with him while Aoko and Hakuba were wrapped up in their own chatting.

Initially, Aoko had also invited Kaito along for the event but he declined in favor of tonight's heist. Not even a fashion show inspired by his idol deterred him from traveling to Beika for the 'show'. At that moment, Shinichi wanted to curse the Phantom Thief to hell and back, however irrational this thought appeared to be in her logical mind.

Once they were placed in their respectable seats by smartly-dressed ushers and served refreshments on small glass tables, the ceiling lights dimmed for a moment before fluorescent beams darted around the large catwalk. A few words between sponsors and the event's direction with the audience were exchanged, and then the fashion show began.

Thirty minutes passed and so far things were going smoothly; no one had screamed in terror, and the outfits that the models wore were very detailed as well as imaginative. The designers had even managed to incorporate the monocle, for crying out loud! An hour later the event concluded with a parting speech and directions to the banquet hall, because a scrumptious buffet awaited the guests as gratitude for coming to the show and sponsoring it via a donation or participating in an auction that would take place in another hour.

Just as Shinichi weaved through the guests her blue orbs had caught sight of Sonoko towards the back talking to one of the male models, and proceeded to leave the area in favor of following her companions.

So far, she had been fairly successful in avoiding the Suzuki heir and the sleuth wanted to keep it that way until it was time to leave. As much as she did not want to admit it out loud, Shinichi was able to enjoy herself a little, talking and laughing with Aoko and Hakuba as they nibbled on their expensive dinner.

Shinichi listened to the British detective as he narrated a case in London that he took, involving a fanatic who was obsessed with some time-travelling doctor in a phone booth. It was when he was talking that he accidentally jostled a young woman who was walking past them with a drink in her jeweled hand. Being the gentleman he was, Hakuba immediately turned to apologise to the dark-haired stranger, who had also turned to apologize as well. Time seemed to come to a standstill as Shinichi laid turned her gaze upon the stranger who wore a beautiful sleeveless onyx dress. A cry of outrage from the stranger's companion, a lovely-looking girl with chin-length light brown hair, fell upon deaf ears as Shinichi croaked out a single word.

"R-Ran?"

Just as she uttered that single syllable, an earth-shattering scream echoed across the banquet hall.

xPFx

A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat as KID gracelessly landed on the rooftop of an unknown house, his hang-glider precariously teetering on the edge of disrepair and uselessness. Tonight's performance, stealing a ruby tiara nicknamed The Rose Bride that would appear in a play based on the famous fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, did not go well. Inspector Nakamori and his men were shockingly able to catch up with him. He was only able to glance at the impressive piece under the moonlight for a mere second before he abandoned it to escape. When he jumped off the roof...things went from bad to worse, and that's all he was going to say.

KID looked around the vicinity until his indigo orbs fell upon a peculiar bird fountain near the mailbox. That birdbath...it looked familiar. But where he had seen it? He placed a finger under his chin and thought, until names and pictures flashed across his mind.

A birdbath that seemed to change every now and again, even blow up at one point.

KID looked to the right and almost gasped; sitting gravely on the right was a stately manor, unoccupied but looked after by one person. Agasa Hiroshi. An inventor and guardian to the one person that Edogawa Agatha held in high regard, so much that she begged him to impersonate her as an older, more developed woman on the Bell Tree Express.

Haibara Ai.

A shark-like grin then suddenly stretched across his mouth. If that's the case, then surely they wouldn't mind me paying a late-night visit would they? Especially since the reason is find the MIA Meintantei-chan. Once he carefully removed the harness from his shoulders, KID surveyed the area before he found an entrypoint that could not be seen from the dimly-lit streets by a random bystander or from the occupants. He did not want to end up running from the police again twice in one evening, thank you very much.

Once he picked the latch with a nifty little theft kit that Jii-chan gave him for his birthday last year, KID silently crept inside the house without making a sound (at least he hoped so. Who knows if this Haibara kid had sharp ears like his dear little critic?). He looked up and down the area three times until he deemed it safe to continue his search.

After discreetly exploring what seemed to be the top floor, KID made his way down the stairs and soon found something that caught his indigo-colored gaze: a dimly-lit office. Placing a gloved hand on the polished wood he slowly opened it all the way and slipped inside. He looked around, surveying his new surroundings. It seemed unimpressive enough for a typical office with with clipped papers strewn across the desk and a few folders tossed haphazardly onto the carpeted ground, as if whoever worked here was looking for something, and then forgot to clean up their mess. On one side of the wall was a heavy-looking bookcase while the opposite had a large whiteboard, positively covered with scribbles.

When KID took a second glance at the whiteboard he soon saw that these so-called 'scribbles' to be the structure of an extremely complex formula, and an organic one at that. There were multiple notes written in different colored inks and also tied together with blue, yellow, or red string. Guessing that it had something to do with the aging professor who lived here, the Phantom Thief did not give it too much thought as he glided towards the semi-cluttered desk.

As his indigo orbs scanned the color-coded documents, the magician's confusion grew even further. Nothing seemed to make any sense to him. Judging from the context written on these papers, they each had a reference that were also written on the whiteboard, seeing some footnotes on organic compounds and the like. However, the content was surprisingly obscure. Furthermore, KID could not make head or tail with the few repeating phrases he saw littered across the pages. In truth, it seemed like utter nonsense.

 **BO. Gin. Kudo. Silver Bullet. Apoptoxin. Vermouth. Sherry. APTX. Antidote. 4869. Shrinking.**

KID continued to scan through a couple other pages as his interest in them began to wade, seeing that he could not find the words 'Edogawa Agatha' written on either the papers or whiteboard. Everything seemed almost indecipherable and did not shed any light on the matter. Just when he was about to give up and leave this place, KID felt his blood run cold when his excellent hearing caught the sound of a gun's safety mechanism being removed.

"I think it would be in your best interest to step away from that desk Kaitou KID."

 _Shit_. How had he not heard her approach? He knew that melodious (if not deadpanned) voice, having heard it once before. Slowly, the Phantom Thief craned his head to the side, just enough to see who was standing behind him.

Haibara Ai. The object of his search.

KID slowly raised his hands on either side of him, palms open, he lifted his head to look in front of him, at the door where the young auburn-haired girl stood with a silver firearm aimed straight at him. Immediately setting his face to his trademark poker expression, with a hint of that teasing arrogance he was known for, the teenage criminal calmly addressed her.

"Now, now, Haibara-san. I haven't come here to pick a fight with you. I'd rather we solve this peacefully, like two mature adults." KID did not miss the way she stiffened for a moment at his last words, before regaining her previous composure.

"Then would you be so kind as to state the reason why are you here, KID? And if I don't get a satisfactory answer, I'll make sure the entire Police Department knows you're here."

Ah, straight to the point. It seemed that Haibara-san was not a person for niceties; oh well, the sooner he got to the bottom of this impromptu investigation, the sooner he could get out of here and fly home to his incredibly warm bed.

"The thing is, Haibara-san, my pride as a magician has taken a serious blow. A certain, mutual detective friend of ours decided to stop coming to see my performances. And I do miss my favourite critic. Heists are just so boring without little Meitantei-chan to spice things up! So, being the dutiful friend that I am, I decided to take a look to see if everything was okay with her. Imagine my surprise when I find almost no record of the existence of Edogawa Agatha, despite her being splashed across the news in the past few years. So, here I am, at the only other link I have to her. Would you mind enlightening me?"

KID unknowingly derived a small bit of sadistic pleasure while watching Haibara's cute face became a ghastly mixture between white and gray. Her body language told him that she did have an idea of what he was talking about, opening and closing her mouth for a split second. Trembling ever so slightly, Haibara's eyes hardened until she composed herself with a straightened back once more The glint in those light grey orbs made Kaito narrow his own. Her tiny finger still remained coiled around the trigger, ready to pull it back at any moment.

"Normally I would divulge information to a wanted criminal like yourself, but because you helped me once before, I will return the favor. I'll say this once, so please listen very carefully: Edogawa Agatha is gone and she will never return to Japan again. Wherever that girl is, she is safe and be looked after. I cannot tell you anything else. And if you are thinking about scavenging for a clue on that desk, you won't find anything related to her unless you are suddenly interested in complex organic chemistry." Haibara inhaled a deep breath before she continued. "But take my advice, and stop hunting her down. Edogawa Agatha...has been through enough as it is, and she doesn't need a crazy magician to be hounding after her trail. Now, please get the hell out of here or I will alert the authorities. I have their emergency number on speed-dial."

KID glared at Haibara-san, but soon realized that he would not be getting any more information and decided to heed the girl's command, taking off into the night with a flutter of his bone-white cape.

It was only when he had gotten home and was mentally reviewing his encounter that he realised something. His photographic memory showed him the material he had found on the desk, and he locked onto a particular detail that he had missed earlier in his search for the elusive critic. Of the multiple phrases that had featured repeatedly among the scientific papers, one thing struck him as exceptionally odd.

What in the world did Kudo-chan have to do with 'complex organic chemistry'?

There was something that he was missing, and it seemed like once again that the only one who could give any answers was still his new classmate Shin-chan. Or at the very least, a lead. But due to the latest "inconvenience" at his prior heists, there was no way for KID to interact with Kudo-chan unless

He decided to go ahead and invaded her apartment or cornered her on the streets late at night, neither of which were appealing options. It would make him look like a stalker, something that he was not, despite popular opinion. This left KID with the only possible solution left: Kuroba Kaito would have to be KID's messenger to Kudo-chan, and become a 'middle man' between the Detective of the East and Ekoda's Phantom Thief.

KID never would have thought that searching for his critic would prove to be so troublesome. Then again, it wouldn't be as fun without a little obstacle here and there, would it?

* * *

 **Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying the winter holidays so far :) I had a great time over my own vacation with the family, but unfortunately a family emergency came up as soon I got back a few days ago, so it might take a little while for the eighth act of** _Paper Faces_ **to be published. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and will do my best to update this story as soon as possible.**

 **I hope this little present will bring a smile to the readers, especially for those who have been following, favoring, or reviewing it since the very beginning. Merry Christmas! :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion -** **(KID caricature)**


	9. Chapter Eight

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana** for all of her help and input in the eighth installment of this series! So without further ado, let the show begin!

* * *

In spite of all the embarrassing situations that Kaito had put her through over the years, Aoko still cared about her childhood friend greatly. And what better way to give him a little push in his budding love life than arrange a Sunday afternoon with Shinichi-chan at Tropical Land? It has been highlighted in several magazines as an ideal place for a first date, and even came with a special discount for couples! Aoko would definitely have to thank Hakuba-kun for informing her about this surprising discovery at the fashion show a few weeks ago, the brown-haired girl thought as she tutted around the Nakamori household doing chores.

Besides, what kind of person would she be to not want give the pain-in-ass magician a little happiness (and revenge) that he deserved?

Yet for the coffee-haired girl who stood by the park's entrance in varsity clothing and a black cap, this 'get-together' was an absolute recipe for disaster. Tropical Land had been the place where Kudo Shinichi had disappeared without a trace emerging as Edogawa Agatha in her two-year absence. What if there were members of the Black Organization still on the loose, trying to rebuild their criminal empire and decided to start here? Or worse, someone would be murdered on one of the rides, like what happened last time, and she would be recognized amongst the crowd?

These thoughts have haunted Shinichi's every waking moment after Aoko had announced that she was going a date with Kuroba-san at the destination she had picked for them. And the possibility of getting her friend involved with the ravens was the last thing Shinichi wanted to happen to him.

Just as her troubled mind could ponder any further, an enthusiastic voice called out to the Detective of the East.

"Hey there, Shin-chan!"

Shinichi turned to the source of the noise and saw the teenage magician approaching her in a fashion that could only be called 'bounding' over to her. He wore street clothes too, which seemed to compliment the slightly tamed bird's nest he had for hair. Nonetheless, Shinichi mustered up the courage to smile at her classmate despite the inner turmoil bubbling in the depths of her mind.

"Hello, Kuroba-san."

The scruffy-looking teen shot her an exasperated look. "Shin-chan, I've told you not to call me that. Call me Kaito."

"Kuroba-kun?"

Kaito shuddered theatrically. "Don't. That sounds even weirder when it isn't Hakuba calling me that." Shinichi just rolled her eyes at his exaggeration, easily settling into their usual bantering as the pair walked towards the admissions booth.

"Well, of course. We can't have you being reminded of dear Hakuba-kun while you're on a 'date' now, can we? After all, this is a chance for us to 'get to know each other in a place that isn't school, because honestly, school is no place to properly find romance'."

There was a moment's silence before the two teens shared a small laugh, being reminded of Aoko and Keiko's over enthusiastic lecture that was the catalyst to their Shinichi-chan's 'date'. Between the sleuth and magician, they decided that it was best to spend the day together so that Aoko would not be upset. Plus, it gave them a chance to enjoy everything as friends.

Once they had calmed down Kaito bowed before the Detective of the East, presenting a ruby-red rose and an arm to her. Shinichi smirked and plucked the thornless offering from between his fingers and made a show of accepting it while hooking her arm in the crook of his elbow. As Kaito purchased their tickets, Shinichi could not help but notice the mischievous twinkle in his eyes; something told her that maybe, just maybe, this day would not be quite so bad as she thought it would be prior to his arrival.

Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

xPFx

Despite the long trek through meandering civilians and dodging hyperactive children, Kaito had been steadfast in not letting Shinichi spend a single yen even when she had offered to at a few snack stands. When she asked why, the magician explained that because this get-together was in all technicalities, a date. Furthermore, quoth Kuroba Kaito himself, "Both Ahouko and my mother will skin me alive I come home and they find out that I let a girl pay on the first date".

After they got off the last ride, Kaito told Shinichi that she could whatever she wanted on the next date they went on. Dark blue orbs blinked owlishly and asked if there will be other dates. The only answers she got were an unusually serious expression and a warning to never underestimate with the force known as Nakamori Aoko. But then with a cheeky grin, the prankster added that there was no way Shin-chan could resist his "magical" charm.

That earned him an eye-roll and a tap on the nose.

Regardless, Shinichi thought that this day was going really well. There was not a sign of a person dressed in all black, and the air was filled with laughter and music instead of a terrified scream that foretold the activation of her family curse. Kaito had also been surprisingly good company, not that she would ever admit it. The mischievous boy didn't need any more stroking his already-inflated ego. They were sitting on a bench, joking around when the next words that came out of Kaito's mouth send Shinichi's spirits plummeting.

"Say, Shinichi, you attended that fashion show, right? The line inspired by KID? How was it? I never actually got around to asking about it, and I'm curious how they managed to create fashion wear inspired by KID."

Right. **That**. How could Shinichi ever forget the shocked expression on Ran and Sonko's faces when the three of them met again for the first time in a long while? If someone had not been poisoned at the event due to theft and blackmail from a rival designer, Shinichi was quite certain that there would have been a major argument, mostly from the Suzuki heir.

"Shin-chan? Shin-chan? Oh for the love of God, why do you get so mopey whenever you're with me? I can't possibly be that awful for company!"

Shinichi was suddenly jolted back to reality when the magician next to her spoke in an exasperated, and somewhat concerned voice. When she looked up, slightly widened azure orbs locked onto her own eyes. His gaze...he really was worried about her. And so, with a watery smile, she shook her head.

"It's nothing. Just remembering a few...not so pleasant recollections from that particular event. It was going well, don't get me wrong. At least...until I bumped into my best from Beika who probably wants nothing to do with me right now. That's probably why Aoko decided to arrange this date. To cheer me up'."

Kaito's eyes softened. In his personal opinion, Shinichi was probably reading too much into the situation. But he didn't say it. Instead, he got up and dusted himself off, after which he offered the teen detective his hand.

"Come on, girl. We've been sitting here long enough. Time to stretch your legs a little~!"

Shinichi stared at him in surprise though but allowed herself to be pulled up from the bench and tugged along down the sidewalk. Glancing at her, Kaito bit the bullet and asked her what was on his mind.

"If it's not too intrusive of me, what happened between you and this friend who might not want to see you ever again? That seems a bit extreme, don't you think?"

The coffee-haired girl understood what he meant, and found herself telling him the closest version of the truth. After all, she could not risk revealing everything, lest breaking at least several laws pertaining to national security, plus incurring the wrath of one Jodie Starling from the FBI. Inhaling a deep breath she said, "I kept a secret from her. A big one. And she decided it wasn't nice for me to deceive her for almost two years because of it."

Kaito looked at her in disbelief. "I don't claim to be an expert on friendship, but I still think that's a bit extreme. I mean, how bad could this… secret have been?"

Shinichi shrugged. "It was bad enough that it could have made Ran a target if I hadn't kept it from her or others who knew me. She thinks that I should have trusted her to protect herself and let myself be helped, rather than spinning lies."

Deciding that he has heard enough, Kaito took a risk and suddenly stopped walking, almost causing Shinichi to collide with him. He then turned to face her, ignoring her quizzical expression. Looking at the sleuth straight in the eye, his demeanour became serious.

"Shin-chan, smile."

The furrowed brow in her hairline suddenly straightened to a deadpanned stare. "...Excuse me?"

"Smile. You know, that upward curve of the lips, preferably with a flash of your pearly whites. Like this?"

He raised his hand to Shinichi's face and used his index finger and thumb to indicate a U-shape, lightly brushing against her lips as he went through the motion. Shinichi went cross eyed trying to keep his hand in view, before she stepped back and gave him an amused, even confused smile.

"What are you doing, Kaito?"

The magician grinned widely in reply (and relief that she was finally stopping addressing him like that irritating prat!), and presented another flower to Shinichi at the flick of his wrist. "See? You do look even nicer when you smile!"

If you asked her, Shinichi would swear up and down the hall that the light pink flush on her cheeks was only because it was a warm day, and had absolutely nothing to do with the dark-haired, blue-eyed prankster she was on a "date" with.

xPFx

After having some snacks, the pair had walked around and talked some more. Kaito had enlightened Shinichi on the intricacies of exactly how he had made Hakuba's hair turn a fluorescent green the other day, though not before making her swear in the name of Sherlock Holmes that she would never reveal it to the British sleuth.

In return, the Detective of the East had regaled him with a few tales from cases she had solved. He had felt an irrepressible surge of satisfaction when she remarked that the Clock Tower Heist was that one of the most challenging cases she had dealt with since she began her career as a freelance sleuth for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. The fact that she held his alter ego Kaitou KID in grudging respect did wonders for the magician's pride.

After a while, Kaito had suggested that they should go on a few of the rides before the lines stretched from a five minute wait to almost two hours. Plus it was better than just sitting around and watching people, he reasoned. Shinichi agreed, and their first destination ended being the bumper cars. Needless to say, they enjoyed themselves thoroughly, but they were far from outright admitting it. Something about a misplaced sense of pride?

A couple of rides later, the dark-haired teenagers wound up in line for the Mystery Coaster. It was not until Shinichi finished laughing at one of Kaito's jokes that she realized where they were.

Immediately, the detective's body language tensed and she clammed up as memories from her last visit rushed through those little grey cells.

Decapitation.

A pearl necklace.

Sleeping pills.

 _ **Gin and Vodka**_ , sitting left and right seats of the fourth car.

Being the observant young man that he was, Kaito instantly picked up on the sudden change in his companion and almost groaned out load. This day had been going so well, so what the hell had prompted Shin-chan to act like this now?! Inhaling a deep breath, he decided to use drastic measures: he poked the detective's cheek. Everyone back at Ekoda High knew that Shin-chan did not to be touched, and surely a subtle touch would have earned the class prankster five whacks on the head if he did not have lightening-fast reflexes.

But when the coffee-haired female gave no indication of a reaction, Kaito decided it was time to worry. Gently tugging Shinichi out of the line for the ride to the nearest bench, he carefully eased her to sit down and then took the opportunity to kneel in front of her. Vacant dark blue orbs just stared right back at him. The magician raised one hand and placed it on her shoulder, gently shaking her.

"Come on, Shinichi. What's with you?"

Shinichi was jerked back to reality at the sound of Kaito's voice. Now twice in one day, this infuriating guy has seen vulnerable. A side of Kudo Shinichi that should be kept under the lid a jar on a high shelf, remain untouched until the end of time. And from the look he was giving her, Kaito was not going to let her go without an explanation. The Detective of East hated to do this again, but a half-truth once again, even though she had promised herself to not lie to any more friends she might make in Ekoda after the failed reunion with Ran. Blinking back the tears that threatened to surface, she rasped out her answer. "I don't really have the best history with this ride, y'know?" That was all it for the dam to burst.

Shinichi explained that a little over two years ago, the Mystery Coaster had been the scene of a gruesome murder; a perfectly normal outing with her childhood friend that eventually became the catalyst to their crumbling friendship, courtesy to the curse that seemed to haunt the Kudo family for generations. The discussion soon evolved to the sleuth venting out loud, explaining that she caused so much death wherever she went, the nickname Shinigami from the police gossip mills reached her ears prior to moving away. The Detective of East wanted to believe that starting off with a clean slate in Ekoda could change things, but it didn't and she was sick and tired and just wanted a damn break.

Somehow, even through her frantic dialogue, she was able to keep the conversation miles away any or related to the Black Organization. Her truthfulness with friends didn't quite cover that just yet.

Meanwhile, Kaito patiently listened to her and never relinquished the grip on her shoulder. At some point in the conversation, he had shifted from his kneeling position to sitting beside her on the bench, an arm coiled around the sleuth's shaking shoulders to act as an anchor of sorts. Once Shinichi had finished speaking, the magician told her to stay put for a few minutes and went to purchase bottled water from a vending machine. Handing it to her, azure eyes watched as his companion sipped the cool liquid. Once he saw that Shinichi had calmed down enough, Kaito held out his hand to her. The coffee-haired girl just looked at him with the body language and gaze of a lost child.

"Come on, Shinichi. You and I are going on this rollercoaster."

"No. No way."

"Yes, way. Come on, please. Do it for me."

"No. Today has already been too good to be true, seeing as I spent the whole day in a thickly populated area and no one died yet. I'm not going to test my luck, Kuroba Kaito, and that is final."

Kaito closed his eyes and counted to three before he took a deep breath and responded. "Fine. Don't test your luck. Test mine instead."

Shinichi was lost. She could not understand the boy's cryptic statement, but there was something about the sheer conviction in his eyes that made her stop. Thankfully, the silence allowed Kaito to continue his speech.

"You think you're a magnet for death? I don't. You just have the luck to be stuck in a series of unfortunate coincidences. That's all. All the deaths or murders that occur around you are **_not_** , in any shape or matter, **_your_** fault. You just happen to be there. Honestly, think about it! There are so many cases that you got 'called' to, and you weren't even **_there_** when the person died. So, how does their death suddenly become the burden **_you_** have to carry on your shoulders, silly girl? And if you still don't believe me, then take my hand. Come with me on that rollercoaster, just this once. No one will die. I promise."

Shinichi stared at him for a long-hard moment until she spoke to him in a shaky voice that she hated to no end. "How can you be so sure?" Kaito then flashed her a grin that was so like him, yet from its usual mischief.

"Because I know that any and all bad luck you might supposedly have can be cancelled out by my phenomenally good luck. So, will you take a gamble my lady?"

Shinichi looked between him and his proffered hand, deliberating for a few moments before placing her hand into his larger one. As he pulled her up, she muttered under her breath.

"For both our sakes, you had better be right about your phenomenal luck."

xPFx

The rollercoaster screeched to a stop before the safety braces rose up seconds later. People disembarked from all four cars, quickly leaving so that the park employees could allow the next wave of waiting visitors to climb in. Amongst the departed were a boy and a girl, both almost looked similar in terms of physical features, yet displayed different expressions on their faces. The boy was smiling widely while his female friend walked beside him with a disbelieving expression on her pretty face that had the tell-tale signs of a first time roller-coaster rider.

To any passerby, they looked like a couple. And it might as well have been, with the way due to the euphoria that Shinchi was feeling at the moment. No one had died. She had nearly spent almost four minutes on the Mystery Coaster, and nothing happened. Perhaps… for once, this idiot magician was right.

Kudo Shinichi was not a harbinger of Death. She was just...Shinichi.

For his part, Kaito was truly enjoying the expression on his companion's face. The fact that he had been the one to put that expression of pure wonder on her face gave him a rush of happiness that only his magic shows had ever given him. A proverbial lightbulb went off in his head as an idea suddenly struck him. By the end of today, Kuroba Kaito would make this the best date Shinichi had ever been on, despite the fact that they had been basically forced to go on it for Aoko's sake.

"Shinichi, do you want to go to the park? It's pretty close to here, and we still have a while to kill before the 'deadline' Ahouko set."

The Detective of the East smirked as she thought of the deadline that Kaito just brought up. Aoko had told them that under no circumstances were they to come home before six o'clock in the evening unless one of them was dying, or pretty damn close to it. Shinichi shrugged.

"Sure, why not? Besides, I hear the park is rather romantic at this time."

Kaito shot a sunny grin at the dark-haired female. The Kudo Shinichi he knew had come back! And the resident magician knew just how to make sure that she stayed that way until it was time for them to go home. In his rush, he almost pulled her all the way to the park.

"Whoa, there! Slow down, Kaito!"

"No can do, Shinichi-chaaannn! I've got a surprise for my lovely date!"

Shinichi rolled her eyes at his antics, but let him drag her along the sidewalk. There was no stopping the hyperactive prankster, and she knew it all too well from Aoko-chan and personal experience.

When they reached their destination, Kaito dragged Shinichi to the playground. Pushing her down onto a nearby bench, he instructed the detective to close her eyes and not to move a single muscle. For good measure as well as to ensure that she did not spoil the surprise, he sweetly asked one of the mothers accompanying their children to make sure Shinichi stayed put. The lively stranger agreed to the magician's terms with a light laugh before she commented on how adorable young love was. Shinichi almost snorted at that, yet decided to remain silent.

After what seemed like an eternity, she heard Kaito thank the woman and felt him take her hand with one hand, while the other covered her eyes. Slowly, he led her to wherever the surprise was. Judging from the sound children chattering or playing with loud giggles, Shinichi automatically deduced that they were still near the playground. She felt Kaito remove his hand from hers, and he told her to open her eyes on the count of three.

"One. Two. Three."

Shinichi opened her eyes to see herself surrounded by children. And in front of her, standing a little bit to the right was Kaito with a mischievous grin in place.

"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be amazed!"

Shinich's smirk soon became a full-blown grin. The idiot had actually organized a magic show! Suddenly, his insistence to go to the closest park from Tropical Land made sense. Not that she would admit it out loud, the sleuth found herself enjoying the tricks Kaito displayed, rather than trying to figure out how they worked.

"For my last trick, I need a volunteer from the audience. Would the young lady at the back care to help?"

Shinichi giggled as she walked over to Kaito, and dropped into a mock-curtsy before the messy-haired prankster.

"Why, it would be my pleasure, sir!"

Once the card trick was finished with Kaito being able to successfully send Shinichi's card to the very back of the audience, he grabbed his assistant's hand as they took their bows from the clapping children and impressed parents. With a flick of his wrist, Kaito made a deep pink rose appear and offered it to Shinichi. The Detective of the East took the flower and looked at him with a raised brow. He just smiled and shrugged.

Realizing what he was referring to, Shinichi blushed slightly and showed her gratitude with a small incline of her head and shy smile. When Kaito saw the faint dust creep across his friend's cheeks, he could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat. When he returned home later that evening once he made sure Shinichi had gotten home safely, he admitted to himself that the "date" went exceptionally well. As the two teenagers got ready for school the next morning, they both shared the same thought.

Perhaps Aoko was not that off the mark. Not neither of them would admit it out loud, of course.

* * *

 **Another act of** _Paper Faces_ **has been written, and what better way to celebrate the New Year than a pinch of KaiShin fluffiness? :) But before I head out of town to handle a family emergency next week, I wanted to let my readers know that there is a poll on my profile. I usually do not use them but through a suggestion from** _OnyxKatana_ **, it has become a crucial part for an upcoming project that is in the works. If you could hop over to the aforementioned area and cast in a vote before the evening on January 9th, that would definitely help us move forward!**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **Welcome 2017, and let us continue the show with even more magic and mystery. See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	10. Chapter Nine

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana** for all of her help! Let the ninth act of _Paper Faces_ and first chapter in the year 2017 commence!

* * *

By the time Monday rolled around, both Kaito and Shinichi quickly immersed themselves back to their respective studies as well as the joint project for World History. Though it seemed like nothing had really changed between the two classmates, Aoko's womanly intuition tingled; in a subtle way, the date at Tropical Land brought them closer than before, and she strongly believed that a second little get-together was in order. At least, when summer break arrives.

Hakuba, however, did not exactly share the sentiment with his love interest after she giddily told him about the secret date she set up for the class magician last week. In truth, the British detective was more concerned about the possibility of Kudo Shinichi falling in love with Kaito for one reason: Kuroba Kaito was KID. KID was a criminal that needed to be put behind bars for the crimes he had committed. Kudo Shinichi was a respectable detective with a strong sense of justice and…bad luck. A relationship like that could never work out. Therefore, Hakuba decided to have a private conversation during lunch-break about this situation.

But he was not the only one with the same mindframe; Ekoda High's local beauty and witch, Koizumi Akako, needed to warn Kuroba Kaito about the darkness that surrounded the transfer student. A misama so black and large, it almost seemed like it could consume Kudo Shinichi within mere seconds. Although the girl had long since gotten over her attraction to Kuroba Kaito, she considered him a close friend, and felt that it was imperative for him to know about their classmate's situation.

Once the bell signaled the start of lunch break, Kaito went over to Shinichi's desk to discuss a few things about their project. Even though the two of them were able to make a lot of progress in the last few weeks, there were still some details that needed to be finalized, including a few extra bits that either of them recently discovered. The pair soon decided to meet up later this week in the school library and compare notes, then transmute whatever has been gathered to a coherent essay with some visual aid. But no sooner did they finish this agreement that they soon found themselves graced by the presence of one Hakuba Saguru.

"Hello, Kudo-san. Kuroba-kun."

Azure orbs narrowed ever so slightly at the awful sight. How this prat managed to show at the most inopportune moments like this remained a mysterious phenomenon to Kaito, but then again why should that matter? He _could_ still dye the bastard's hair to hot-pink with sparkles at the flick of a wrist, though it wasn't worth Ahouko trying to eviscerate him when there was still a lot of work to do for the World History project.

Fortunately, Kaito's dark expression was cheerfully ignored by Hakuba as the British sleuth turned his undivided attention to Shinichi.

"Kudo-san, I would like to speak with you in private for a few minutes. I assume that's alright with Kuroba-kun, unless you would like to meet up later after school to talk?"

Though mildly surprised to see the serious expression on her classmate's face, Shinichi assumed that he wanted to discuss a case with her, given to how it has become a frequent occurrence for both of Ekoda's famous detectives to provide constructive criticism on mysteries, past or present.

The coffee-haired teen then turned to Kaito and shot him a questioning look. Understanding what she meant, the magician sauntered off with a careless wave and a reminder on when to meet up on Thursday after class. Shinichi smiled at his retreating and averted her gaze back to Hakuba.

"Sure. What case did you want to talk about today, Hakuba-san?" To her surprise, the blonde-haired detective shook his head. "It's not a case that I wish to talk about with you, Kudo-san. The subject I had in mind was Kuroba-kun."

Shinichi immediately felt a headache creeping up in the back of her mind. It was bad enough to spent the entire morning with Aoko giving her a look of utter triumphant every time their eyes met, and to be blunt, the Detective of the East was getting tired of it, especially when the brunette mentioned to Momoi-san how perfect her friends would look as a couple within earshot.

Releasing a small sigh, Shinichi replied. "Look, I'm not really in the mood to be grilled further on how adorable Kaito-kun and I appear next to each other. I've already heard that this morning through Aoko-chan."

Hakuba only raised an eyebrow at the exasperated teen before he continued. "Actually, I did want to talk about your outing but not in the sense you are thinking of. However, I was not aware that the two of you were already on a first-name basis."

Shinichi flushed slightly at his words. It was true that she had started to feel...odd around Kuroba-san, but she has already brushed it off by the logic that it's been so long since anyone has seen her in a weak, emotional state except for her parents and Haibara.

Yet her curiosity rose significantly by the fact that he wanted to talk about the date, though did not interrogate her about it as Aoko-chan had. And why in the world would want to talk about it in the first place? That particular question was answered by the next few words that came out of Hakuba-san's mouth, shocking Shinichi to the core.

"Kudo-san, I think it would be in your best interest to stay away from Kuroba-kun," He immediately held up his hand in the air when he saw Shinichi gape at him like a fish. "Don't get me wrong. He is a good man, but I don't think that a romantic relationship between the two of you would work out."

Shinichi blinked at him for a moment before she regained some semblance of composure, and cleared her throat until she could answer her classmate properly. "While I appreciate your concern, I cannot fathom the reason behind your logic. Kuroba-san has given me no reason to doubt him, even though he may be an insufferable prat at times with his antics. Furthermore, we went to Tropical Land strictly as friends even though Aoko is convinced otherwise. The two of us only agreed to act as a couple so we didn't upset her. I can say with absolute certainty that there is nothing romantic between Kuroba Kaito and myself."

Hakuba hummed softly, as if he accepted her words, but was not completely convinced. "I'll take your word for it, Kudo-san. I only approached you because I was worried as a friend. I do not doubt that Kuroba-kun is a good person, and that you would work well with him, as a friend or something more. However, there are certain complications thrown into the mix, they are a cause for concern."

Shinichi gave him a confused look. "I'm not sure I'm following you. Would you mind elaborating it?"

Hakuba rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to come up with a less harsh way to say it. After spending a few moments in silent contemplation, he decided to upfront with the detective. There was no way to soften the blow with any verbal method.

"Kudo-san, I have strong suspicions that Kuroba Kaito is Kaitou KID."

Shinichi's eyes widened at the vehement proclamation that was just said. It seemed too preposterous to be true, especially by someone such as Hakuba-san. Yet he seemed very convinced of its solidarity. A dramatic, hyperactive classmate aspiring to become the world's greatest magician. A flamboyant, suave and mysterious Phantom Thief with a strict 'nobody-gets-hurt' creed.

How was it possible for these two completely different individuals to be the one and the same?

"Hakuba-kun, forgive me for not being convinced. As a detective, I cannot believe this unless I form the same conclusion as you have, through my own deductive reasoning. Until then, I will keep your words in mind."

Hakuba nodded at her, acknowledging her words. "That's quite alright, Kudo-san. It's what I'd expect of a fellow detective, really. I formed my conclusions from certain experiences, and you can form your own beliefs through the same way, if not a little differently. And never forget what Sir Conan Doyle meant by these words, something that I know you have followed all your life. ' _When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'_ At this point, Kuroba Kaito being KID is my improbable truth. However, I have no concrete evidence, which is why it shall remain a mere theory until I can prove otherwise."

He stepped back, and inclined his head in a bow. "Enjoy your lunch, Kudo-san. Oh, and some friendly advice for you before I take my leave: Aoko-kun is out to set you up on another date with Kuroba-kun. I heard her discussing it with Momoi-san in third period, so you may want to be on the lookout."

Upon hearing Shinichi groan at this unfortunate revelation, Hakuba could not help the laugh that bubbled from within him. Nevermore had he been more grateful to remain away from the wrong end of Nakamori Aoko's matchmaking schemes.

xPFx

Kaito was cursing Hakuba to Hell and back as he walked back to his desk with a sour expression. It was bad enough that the prat was giving him those strange and not-so-subtle glances the whole morning; worst of all, he had absolutely no idea what he had done to receive the unwanted attention. KID hasn't even been able to conduct a heist lately with everything that's been going on in school!

Just when he was about to ponder even further pertaining on his classmate's bizarre behavior, Kaito felt someone tap him lightly on the shoulder. The magician looked to the side and saw Koizumi Akako smiling at him, at least for a few seconds until her pretty face was schooled into a serious expression. After becoming familiar with the local witch over the last two years or so, Kaito knew instinctively that she needed to talk to him, and she was not going to take 'no' for an answer. He watched her hands point towards the classroom doors, and raised an eyebrow.

 _Oh. So she wants to talk where none of our classmates will hear us? But...is talking in the hallway really a good idea?_ Kaito thought with a confused look, though decided to not to question the raven-haired witch as she walked towards the sliding doors. He waited about five minutes or so before he got up and followed Akako. When he looked around, Kaito saw her standing at the end of the corridor.

Kaito walked up to her and casually leaned against the wall. "Alright, so what's this one about?"

Akako promptly replied. "Kudo Shinichi."

The dark-haired teen gave her a deadpanned stare. "You know as well as I do that the 'date' was for Ahouko's benefit and our peace of mind. There's nothing going on between me and Shin-chan!"

To his surprise, Akako narrowed her eyes and gave him a deadly glare. "I couldn't care less about whether or not the two of you are dating, you silly magician. This is bigger than your romantic life. This is strictly about Kudo-san. I can sense a cloud over her. Her emotions are agitated, and have been for quite some time. There is something in her life that has literally formed a darkness around her. If this contaminating corruption isn't fixed soon, then there is a chance of it completely engulfing her. And this is one case where prevention is better than the cure."

Kaito's laid-back manner had grown more and more serious with each word that came out of Akako's mouth. He could sense that the coffee-haired teen sleuth had been troubled, but it hadn't crossed his mind that the issue would grow to one where Ekoda's residential witch was willing to get involved. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly.

"Alright. So, how do we remedy this problem? I talked to Shinichi yesterday, and I think we tackled a major issue that's been eating at her for a while now. Has her 'cloud' decreased any, or is it still as bad as before?"

Akako cleared her throat. "Well, that's another thing. I've been monitoring her for a few days now, and I observed that this darkness subsides a little whenever she's around Hakuba-kun or Nakamori-chan. However, when she's around you, it recedes up considerably, or very nearly disappears altogether, which is saying a lot considering the situation. So, I think that you have helped her with it, whether intentionally or not."

Kaito absorbed whatever magical jargon Akako was explaining. Well, it made sense, at least to a certain degree. He was usually able to distract Shinichi from whatever was bothering her, and had become the person she had vented her troubles twice since the beginning of the school year. Perhaps she found him comfortable to talk to or trusted him to a certain level. If he could help her by being a shoulder to cry on, or being her pillar then why couldn't he be that person? They were starting to become close friends, and Kaito genuinely enjoyed the company offered by the sharp-witted girl.

"Okay. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for this. We need to help Shinichi get out of this. Thank you for telling me about this, Koizumi-san."

As he turned to leave, he felt Akako's hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. He sent her a questioning glance. The ruby-eyed beauty opened her mouth to say something, but faltered for a moment. She lightly shook her head, as if gathering her thoughts. Lowering her voice, so that it was only just audible to the magician, she spoke again.

"There's something else. I took the liberty of reading Kudo-san's aura. Not surprisingly, it was unsettled and turbulent. However, it wasn't a raging disturbance, which means that she has gotten used to the unrest."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Didn't you just say that whatever's troubling her has been going on for a while now? Of course she would be used to it!"

"Shut up and let me talk, you insolent magician," Akako hissed with a displeased glare. "Reading auras is a witch's gift! It is nothing like your petty tricks where you pretend to read minds. Anyway, as I was saying before you interrupted me, about Kudo-san's aura...the interesting thing about it was that I know one other person with a similar one."

Akako paused to look at Kaito and make sure he was able to understand what she was saying with no confusion. When she found his azure orbs locked onto hers with the utmost attention, she continued.

"Her aura is very similar to yours, Kuroba-kun."

Kaito's face gave away nothing, save for a single eyebrow raising. His Poker Face was perfectly in place. But behind the passive expression he was showing to the sorceress, so many questions were going off in his mind. Damn Akako for confusing him even more with her magic jargon! Why couldn't she be straightforward and just say it like Shin-chan does?

"The unrest I see in her aura is reminiscent to the one I can see in yours. If I had to guess, I would say that she has a massive secret. One that is comparable to your secret about your alternate identity. Only something that big could cause a turbulence like the one I sense. Whatever it is, I suggest you be on your guard and try to help her before the darkness grows any larger."

Satisfied, the raven-haired classmate walked away from Kaito without another word. What the witch told him just now has given him a lot to think about, especially about the troubled aura that Shin-chan supposedly possesses. It struck a cord inside him; earlier, he had been convinced that the 'darkness' around Shinichi had been due to her fears about her curse and everything that has happened since she transferred to Ekoda, including a less than pleasant circumstance on which she had parted with her best friend.

However, prior experience had taught him that Akako's powers were something to never to be taken lightly. If she said that Shinichi's aura was unstable and needed to be observed closely or else it will cause trouble, then he would do whatever he can to keep this 'darkness' under control.

There was another thing that puzzled him greatly. Akako said that the type of inner turbulence she sensed was probably due to keeping a major secret close to the heart, in so many words. And aside from Jii, Kaito was the only other person who knew that his civilian identity acted as a mask for the Phantom Thief Kaitou KID. So then what could be so important to Shin-chan that she had it for so long, that her body has gotten used to the stress of carrying it?

As he walked back to class, Kaito made a mental note to ask Shinichi about this...problem. Yet before he could even approach the coffee-haired girl about that, he needed to earn her confidence and trust. From there, he could ask about Edogawa Agatha's whereabouts. Neither of his favorite detectives were all right, and he needed to get to the bottom of this situation, and quickly.

xPFx

When classes had ended on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, Shinichi found herself sitting in a quaint little cafe with hot coffee sitting innocently on the side. After giving it much contemplation, the teen sleuth decided to give the Nakajima Publishing Group a phone call and let them know that she was interested in meeting the literary agent that her father recommended. While Shinichi had conducted her own research on the company itself, she was somewhat surprised that one of the largest publishing houses in Ekoda would willingly to a few altercations to their schedule to meet with her. It might have to do something with the fact that a few of Kudo Yuusaku's Night Baron books had brought in a steady profit for them. Maybe their line of thinking was this: does the daughter of this famous mystery author have just as much talent as her father when it comes to writing prose? And if she does, is it worth investing time to read a fifty-page manuscript, much less spend a few yen to publish the rest of it?

Shinichi shrugged and took a sip of her beverage. _Worse case scenario is that I move onto something else that can help handle my stress. Video games and shopping on Sundays are_ definitely _out of the question_. The Detective of the East chuckled quietly at her little joke, savoring the coffee's satisfying aftertaste until her dark blue orbs caught sight of a bespectacled man in a two-piece suit, looking absolutely haggard as he walked inside the establishment with a tiny 'ding' of the bell above the door.

She watched as his head swiveled from the left to the right until their eyes made contact with each other. He tentatively approached the booth she was occupying, a sheepish smile on his face. _Can't be that much older than his early to late twenties. Mud is splattered in at least four places on the left pant leg and three on the left, so he must have just gotten off at the train station and ran all the way here from the intersection at the 4th Street and Clover Boulevard. But that place is still undergoing some construction, so he most likely took another detour that he thought was a shortcut and ended up here. Is he new to the area?_

"Um...are you Kudo Shinichi?"

The man's voice jolted Shinichi from her silent observation and she blinked before smiling shyly. "Er, yes. That's me. I didn't mean to be rude. It's been...a long day for me." The dark-haired teen then stood up to greet with a low, respective bow. "Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to see me today."

"T-the p-pleasure is all mine, Kudo-san! I apologize for running a little late though. This is my first time conducting an interview in this area, so please be patient with me!" He stuttered, returning Shinichi's bow with one of his own. The Detective of the East nodded, and the two of them took a seat in the booth just as a perky waitress approached them with a smile and notepad. Once he had placed an order for orange-spiced tea with lemon on the side, the man went straight to business as soon as he pulled out clipped papers from his briefcase.

" _The Witch's Banquet_ definitely has the potential to become something phenomenal, but I do have to agree that the amount of violence in just fifty pages is a bit much for an eight-year-old to pick up and read. It might bring in more interest if targeted audience are middle-school or even high-school readers. Revision is needed in some areas, and there is a limit to how many times you can use a word within a three to five page limit. I'd strongly recommend using a thesaurus. I do know a few useful tools on our company website that we provide for budding writers. I'll jot them down for you before we leave."

Shinichi hummed thoughtfully, carefully digesting all of this new information into her little grey cells. While she had a vague idea on what sort of rules that her father had to follow when he was working on his books, but who would have thought that these regulations were particularly specific? She certainly didn't.

Just when the man - who introduced himself as Sakano Nisei - was about to take his leave from the cafe so he could catch the next train back to the literature agency, a shrill scream echoed in the establishment. Instinctively, Shinichi stood up and ran to the source, only to discover a waitress lying motionlessly on the bathroom floor. The sleuth suddenly felt cold.

Someone...someone has died again. Even when it didn't happen at Tropical Land...I still carry this damned curse whenever I go. No. No...I can't like that. Remember what Kuroba-san said. I'm not a harbinger of Death. I...I was just here at the wrong place at the wrong time. And standing here like this won't bring this poor woman the justice that she deserves. Hardening her rattled nerves, the Detective of the East went straight to work.

Once she had calmed the startled customers with the strong suggestion to get comfortable in the cafe or else possibly be questioned as a suspect by the police, Shinichi collected personal and contact information related to the victim. Taking a pair of gloves she always carried in her schoolbag, the dark-haired teen took pictures and carefully examined the body.

It did not take Shinichi very long to point out the cause of death as well as the person responsible for this crime. The victim, twenty-three year old Seguchi Misa, was having an affair with the business man she was serving at table four, but his wife found out. Fed up with his philandering attitude, she decided to take matters into her own hands and tried to pay off the waitress to leave her husband. When the victim refused the money, the wife decided to use poison via the mints Misa always ate in between her breaks, a habit that the murderer speculated by three days' of observation. And then two days ago, she had sent them to Misa through the mail as a gift from a 'happy customer'. Now, the poison had taken its full effect, killing Misa.

By the time Shinichi had finished her reasoning to the sputtering middle-aged woman whom was being accused of murder, Inspector Megure arrived on the scene with Shiratori. Not wanting to interfere any further now that the police were here Shinichi handed her notes to the portly man before excusing herself from the restroom to find the agent. Fortunately, he was still sitting at their booth, though his face was still white as a sheet.

Shinichi frowned sadly until the top half of her lithe frame lowered itself to a bow much deeper than the one she had presented to Sakano-san earlier. "Please accept my sincerest apologies! I...did not know this would happen, nor had any intention of delaying your schedule any further. If the idea of publishing the manuscript is out of the question due to this situation, I understand."

The sleuth did not dare look up from the ground, afraid that she has now possibly scared this poor man so badly that he probably did not want to be associated with Shinichi any further. A few moments of silence passed until the agent responded in a soft, astounded voice.

"You are truly your father's daughter, Kudo-chan."

Shinichi flushed at his words. She had been expecting something entirely different, so the young woman wasn't sure if he meant that as a comment or a compliment, but it struck something in her. "A-Ah, thank you, Sir. However, I apologize again, and I hope you will accept it."

The man smiled at her and dismissively waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. I finally understand why your manuscript seemed so detailed and realistic for a teenager. It is truly remarkable how you managed to capture the mystery and suspense of your cases, then able to convey it through your story. The only other author I personally know whose characters and writing seem so realistic is Yuusaku himself. In that, and in the way you solve mysteries, I can see Yuusaku in you."

He then got a far-off look in his eyes, as if he was remembering something in the distant past. When he remained silent for a while, Shinichi thought it best to enquire if he was alright. The man jerked back to reality and vehemently shook his head, offering the girl a sheepish smile.

"It's nothing. All this talk of mysteries reminded me of an incident at my old publishing house. Almost eighteen years ago I worked under a senior editor named Aoyagi Toji. He was a good man and was great at what he did, but then he had suddenly quit his job and left without any prior notice or subsequent explanation, as if he vanished into thin air! He left everything at his desk that day, except for a manuscript he received from someone with the initial B. That same manuscript was featured in the news a few days later, right in an article that talked about the unsolved Borja mystery. But all this fuss happened much before your time, young lady, so I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't familiar with it."

Shinichi was surprised. Who would have thought that meeting Sakano-san would provide insight on an investigation she had almost forgotten due to schoolwork and catching up with other cold cases? The files on the Borja case were thin and provided little evidence to point out a suspect. Not even her father could a case efficiently with such scarce information.

Deciding to fish more details while she could, Shinichi asked. "I do recall my father mentioning the name Borja once. I believe it was some event he attended when he had only just started out with the Night Baron series? Sponsored by a writing magazine called _The Quill_?"

The editor's eyes lit up. "Ah yes, now I remember! The incident happened after hosting a party for the finalists of a writing contest. Kudo Yuusaku was there with another finalist, Ushiromiya George, I think was the name. It is a shame that your father was not present when the tragedy occurred. I'm certain that he would have solved the mystery just as efficiently as you might in the near future. And now, I really must get going or else I'll miss the next train back to the agency. Thank you, Kudo-san, for your time. I hope to hear from you soon. Have a good day!"

xPFx

Relieved, and also filled with brimming curiosity from the information she just received from the man, Shinichi left the cafe to the street that would led her back to Clyro Villa. A lot has definitely happened today. From being offered a chance to publish her own novel to solving another random mystery. _Let's just hope that the walk home will be uneventful and quiet. I still have to finish collecting material for the project before I meet Kuroba-san at the library tomorrow. And definitely look into the information that Sakano-san has given me pertaining to the Borja case. Still...why would Sakano-san's co-worker just up and leave like he did after he got that manuscript? Was there something in there that could have caused a scandal? Or...another motive for murder aside from inheritance money? I think I will have a talk with Dad about this. Maybe he can shed some light about this Aoyagi Toji_. The Detective of the East thought, making a left turn onto the intersection at 3rd Ave and Jade Dragon Street when a familiar, and cheerful voice called out her name.

"Shin-chan!"

The coffee-haired turned around to the source of the noise and stopped in her tracks. "Oh, Kuroba-san. What are you doing here?" The class prankster frowned, puffing out his cheeks with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"For the umpteenth time Shin-chan, call me Kaito! K-A-I-T-O. It's not that hard!

Shinichi's blue orbs rolled at the exaggeration as a small smirk twitched the corners of her mouth. "Of course, of course. But really, I wasn't expecting to see you around here. Doing some shopping?"

Kaito huffed and crossed his arms, holding up his nose in an almost arrogant manner. "Yup! Just restocking some supplies for my next trick I'll be presenting to class before summer break starts!" He explained, looking at the coffee-haired sleuth with a mischievous glimmer in his azure eyes.

Shinichi almost felt her left eye twitch at the answer. "I pity the poor souls who will witness such an act of horror."

"Horror? What I do is a work of art, Shin-chan! Art!" Kaito exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart as crocodile tears fell down his face. "You've wounded me!"

"The 'art' or the ego that's the size of a truck?"

"Why must you be so cruel to me? Is this how one treats the love of their life?"

Shinichi frowned and lightly punched Kaito's arm. "Shut up. It's bad enough that at least half of the class thinks we're dating. I don't need rumours of 'true love' or something flying around as well. Honestly, you'd think people had better things to do than meddle in other people's nonexistent relationships!"

Kaito held up his hands in mock surrender. "I know what you mean. When Hakuba and Aoko first started hanging out together, the rumours around them had reached an all time high. Right to where Aoko assembled the student body during Golden Week and said that if she heard any more gossip between her and Hakuba, she would release her unbridled rage with a mop from the janitor's closet. And as you have come to realize since your transfer, I am literally the only one in school who can get away from the mop assault without as much as speck of dirt on my shirt! That's why no one says anything about them. And as bad as it sounds, the two of us are the next most 'happening' thing since those two. So, I strongly suggest you to be prepared for more interrogation on 'dates' and 'juicy details'."

Shinichi groaned out loud at his words as a bubble of laughter left Kaito's mouth at the exasperated expression on the poor girl's face. When his head swiveled to the side of the street, the magician's eyes instantly brightened at the sight of an ice cream shop.

"Hey, why don't we get some ice cream before we head home, Shin-chan? This place over here is really good, and it isn't busy right now!"

"But what about preparing for your show? Isn't it essential for a magician to make sure he has everything he needs to cause chaos for his audience? And before you ask me, I have no interest in being an accomplice."

Kaito shot Shinichi a playful glare. " Fine. Don't be an accomplice. Be my assistant and help me plan everything out. I'll even buy you a dress for the act. Well, you can help me plan that over ice cream. Now, come on or else it will too late to savor the sugary goodness that is ice cream!" He exclaimed, grabbing Shinichi's wrist and started to drag her towards the brightly lit establishment.

"And what I'm saying is in one ear and out the other, isn't it? It's a small wonder how can you still get the top grades in school." Shinichi muttered. Kaito threw the detective a shark-like smirk as he held the door open for his lady companion.

Around five minutes of decision-making and an extra two seconds for Kaito to pay for their treats, the teens left the shop with medium-sized plastic cups and spoons in their hands. After a snide comment on how it was a miracle that the class magician was so fit despite ingesting ridiculous amounts of sugar, the two of them decided to take a walk around the shopping plaza while enjoying their sugary snacks.

From the corner of her dark blue orbs, Shinichi witnessed Kaito's joyous expression become a thoughtful, even contemplative expression on his face. "You know, when Ahouko and I went to Tropical Land, she told me I'm cold and sweet like ice cream. Is it...weird to say that those words still sort of bother me now?"

Shinichi blinked at him in surprise. "Well...I suppose you wouldn't be giving it much thought if the memory itself bothers you. Unless it still does, and now you are starting to believe it?"

Kaito sighed heavily. "I'm not sure anymore, Shin-chan. I think at this point, no matter how I answer that question, you're already prepared to give me a comment, meaningful or sarcastic."

A heavy silence soon fell upon the pair until the Detective of the East answered her friend, in a soft and cautious voice. "Well, to compare someone's personality to ice cream is bit...extreme to me, especially when I don't use any of those similarities in you, Kuroba-san. Then again, I haven't known for as long as Aoko-chan, so I'm not one to judge. But...if we were comparing each other to something...I'd say you would not be ice cream. Moonlight seems to be more fitting. You might act friendly towards other people, but there are times that you can be distant. And…for some reason you feel...familiar to me, but I don't know from where or how it's even possible since I met you at the beginning of the semester."

Kaito then suddenly stopped walking, and stared at Shinichi with a gaping mouth. For once he struggled to formulate a response when words were one of his specialities. The Detective of East halted in her footsteps as well, looking at him with a quizzical expression on her face.

"Shin-chan, that was - I mean, your...observation was surprisingly profound. I'm touched, I really am. I-I'm not good at making analogies either, something that I've been struggling with for a while in English, but I try. When I say this...please do not punch me so hard that'll be knocked out by the time it's time to turn in our World History project, okay? You have one heck of a right hook."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at him. "All right? And exactly is on your mind that it might warrant me to resort to violence? It can't possibly be that bad."

The Detective of East watched her companion closely as he inhaled a few deep breaths, before answering Shinichi in a low and soft voice.

"Shin-chan...I think you're like a cloud. Small, out of reach and can have much distance as moonlight. But...you have the possibility to ascend even further into the skies, and to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. You've come a long way from where you were before, Shin-chan, at least what you've told me." Kaito looked up from the ground and smiled sheepishly. "That...doesn't make you, angry, does it?"

The sleuth shrugged. "Not really. My Dad used to be a lot more cheesier with his words when making comparisons, especially if Mom thought he was cheating on her with another woman at one of the writing conventions they went to. I prefer things to be short, sweet, and to the point."

Kaito's eyes sparked with mischief, a glint that he was infamous for. "So~! If I ever supposedly 'cheat' on my stunning 'girlfriend', should I use flattering words to seek forgiveness prepared in advance or -"

"Finish that sentence and I might reconsider the possibility of punching you in the face. Better yet, I could use a soccer ball. It would make better impact to wipe off that insufferable smirk on your face." Shinichi snapped, narrowing her eyes at the dark-haired teen. Kaito then grinned and raised his spare hand in surrender.

"Alright, alright. Shutting up now. You know, you actually remind me of another acquaintance of mine. She had an unhealthy love of dangerous soccer balls too. It's surprising, really."

"Huh."

That was the only word Kaito received from Shinichi throughout the rest of their walk through the shopping plaza, at least until they went their separate ways at the entrance. When the magician returned home and got himself settled in, he was surprised to see an unusual sight in the bathroom mirror.

His cheeks were a light shade of red, and Kaito was quite certain that the color was not due to the weather. The smile on his face could only be described as goofy. The magician placed a hand over his face to try and prevent the smile from getting any bigger. _Sheesh, I hope Shin-chan won't see me looking like this any time soon! But more importantly...why do I care if she sees me in such a manner?!_

It was ridiculous. A gentleman thief being attracted to a detective? This is a recipe that spelled disaster. Especially when Kuroba Kaito has absolutely no idea what do with these newfound feelings for a coffee-haired spitfire.

* * *

 **It looks like Kaito has discovered that his feelings for Shinichi actually run deeper than the close friendship that has been** **developing! But what will happen now that Hakuba and Akako have warned their respective classmates about the other? Will this realization bring the Phantom Thief any closer to the truth behind Edogawa Agatha's disappearance?**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**


	11. Chapter Ten

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** or **The Phantom of the Opera** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho** and **Gaston Leroux** , respectfully. Furthermore, I do not have any claim on the historical information that is depicted in this segment of the story. If there is need for corrections, please let me know.

I'd like to thank **OnyxKatana** once again for her help as well as **Vivian Graythorn** for her fantastic ideas that are featured in the tenth act of _Paper Faces_! I could not have done it without either of them. Please enjoy the show! :)

* * *

When he realized that he was in fact in love with his classmate, Kaito knew that KID's next heist had to be the best since his official return to the public eye almost three years ago. He had no idea how much time it would take to plan everything down to the last letter in between school and other responsibilities as a civilian. But even though this performance was an attempt to attract Shin-chan's attention it also served an ulterior purpose: indirectly asking the Detective of the East to locate his missing critic. KID did not know what the price would be to search for a child who is supposedly fine (at least according to what Haibara-san said), but the Phantom Thief was willing to do anything so as to assure himself that Edogawa Agatha was not in any trouble whatsoever.

With the first week of June starting in the next three to four weeks, Kaito decided to spend the break in between finalizing his portion of the World History project and doing online research for a gem that was large enough to fit another one inside of it. Around eleven o'clock on Sunday evening, he got a hit. On June 28th, a theater troupe would arrive in Ekoda to perform _Paper Faces_ , a modernized version of Gaston Leroux's novel _The_ _Phantom of the Opera_. During one scene the leading lady would receive the world's largest opal, nicknamed the Rainbow Maiden for its rich palette of colors and light-refracting qualities, in the shape of a beautifully handcrafted mask. According to a legend that is detailed in the play, including citing a few actual historical references from Europe, the Rainbow Maiden has the innate ability to bringing two unlikely, and seemingly incompatible people, together in a harmonious bond.

Kaito wrinkled his nose as he stared at the glaring screen and continued typing away. That was definitely something he could use later but as for where the play was going to be performed...Eh? Well, what do you know! It will be at the performing arts center where the Green Dream heist took place! And who knows? Maybe Furuhata Megumi will be there on the opening night!

A sly grin curled around the corners of his mouth. He had a target, a location, and a time. All that KID needed to do now was send a riddle to his beloved task force, and include an exclusive request to have Kudo Shinichi attend the show with access to a front-row seat or there would be...unpleasant consequences.

Satisfied with what he had accomplished so far, Kuroba Kaito shut off the laptop and went to bed early. After all, the next few weeks were about to become jam-packed with planning and reconfiguring areas to be littered with traps and glitter bombs (Jii would be helping of course, couldn't dare let him miss out on all of the fun!) once he and Shin-chan finished the presentation of their project on next week.

Once he had finished all of his assignments, including the joint World History project, Kuroba Kaito began planning KID's next performance as soon as he came home on Monday evening. The workload separated the class prankster from any quality time with his dear Shin-chan, yet he knew that everything in the end would pay off on the evening of the heist for two reasons: 1) Lady Luck hasn't failed him yet and 2) he needed the sleuth to locate his little critic before he was going to lose his mind. Quite the conundrum, wasn't it? He wanted to be near Shinichi, yet he could not afford to let her discover so early in this game of cat-and-mouse.

On the opening night of _Paper Faces_ , it went as smooth as it possibly could with the presence of two teen detectives. KID would have liked to enjoy the performance a little longer than necessary in his disguise as a security guard up near the orchestra pit, but it was his turn to shine on the stage and steal the Rainbow Maiden from its leading lady. When he stood on the stage, he stared at his audience with a shark-like grin.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!"

"IT'S KID! AFTER HIM!"

Formally-dressed occupants were stunned into silence at the sudden appearance of the infamous Phantom Thief, while everything else around them became chaos. Once he made his escape with the spoils via a handful of smoke pellets and two glitter bombs, KID turned to an old friend that had been beside him since the very beginning - the rooftop. It wasn't the one that introduced him and Edogawa Agatha, but it was pretty close for the moment. And it was the only place that could provide him a quick escape, should the need to do so arise.

His azure orbs stared down at the glittering buildings beneath him and then at the dark sky that seemed to stretch for miles and miles. He had spent almost three years searching for Pandora and the culprits responsible for his father's murder. KID knew that Snake was one of these people, but he couldn't make any moves to investigate him or his associates, lest it endangers his civilian identity and the people he cares about.

Once Pandora had been found and either destroyed or hidden, then KID could afford to 'drop a few hints', so to speak, about the Organization to the police department. Until then, the less people who got involved in this mess, the better things would be.

Just when these thoughts were about to cloud his mind even further and - dare he say it - distract him for a brief moment, his sharp hearing caught the sound of a door opening. Inhaling a deep breath, KID's Poker Face instantly appeared and turned to the source of the noise. There, standing less than a hundred feet away in a peacock-blue dress and black ballet flats was Kudo Shinichi. While the Kaito in him rejoiced, KID merely curved his lips into the smirk he was known for. Dropping into a gentleman-like bow, he drawled out a greeting in his charming baritone voice.

"Why, if it isn't the Detective of the East! And here I was worried that my dear inspector wouldn't let you in after that last fiasco with the King's Favorite. I even sent out a special request for you to attend tonight's play! Speaking of which, I do hope you enjoyed the show."

True to her nature, Shinichi stared down the Moonlight Magician without so much as a flicker in her determined gaze. "Which show are you referring to, KID? _Paper Faces_ , or the performance you're putting on right now?"

KID smiled. "Both~! I'll have you know that I have put in a 'lot' of time and mischief into planning this little rendezvous". Reaching inside his cape, the Phantom Thief pulled out the Rainbow Maiden. He nearly smirked as the detective's body tensed slightly at the priceless artifact in his grasp. The Phantom Thief held it up in towards the full moon for a split second, and then in front of his face. Yet despite his playful facade behind the jewel-encrusted mask, there was a frown of disappointment. Tonight's target is not the one he is looking for. Still…

"Neh, do you know the legend behind the Rainbow Maiden, my dear sleuth~?"

"Enlighten me."

"Well, apart from the obvious beauty of the gem, it is rumoured to have a certain… ability, so to speak. It is claimed by some historians that The Rainbow Maiden has united two unlikely, and dare I say it, people with contradicting personalities in a lovely and harmonious relationship! A true ideal for believers of true love between opposites~! Even in tonight's performance, the hero offered this treasure as a wedding present to a woman who captured his heart. Isn't that romantic, detective?"

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at the white-clad gentleman and stretched out a palm out to him. "Wonderful story, but with very little evidence to back it up except the minor historical references mentioned in the pamphlet. I would like the Rainbow Maiden back, KID, and I'm not leaving without it."

"Oh~? Then do you accept it as a promise of love between us?" KID asked slyly. "If so, then maybe I'll make an exception to steal this gem~! Or should I keep things simple with a bouquet of larkspur and camellia flowers, accompanied with a dance under the moonlight~?"

Shinichi flushed a brilliant shade of red at his words. The Detective of the East could now see what Momoi-san meant when she said that KID was as an incorrigible flirt, but a very good-looking flirt. Almost similar to a certain messy-haired classmate who suddenly appeared in her thoughts at the moment. Shaking her head, Shinichi inhaled a deep breath to calm herself down. Damn it all, Kaito! I don't know who's more infuriating, you or KID! Yet once she regained her composure, the coffee-haired teen leveled the Phantom Thief with a blank stare that could have scared grown men who were much more intimidating.

"Not very amusing, KID. I already have enough people to deal with. Now, if you please, return the gem."

But the monocle-wearing deviant was only half listening to the sleuth's demand. His sharp hearing caught another sound within their vicinity; it seemed like it was coming from within the building, though it barely resembled the blundering footsteps of Inspector Nakamori nor his task force. They were soft, confident, and cautious, terrifyingly akin to a predator stalking his prey. The magician had a very good idea who exactly it was due to noticing some men wearing black trenchcoats and fedoras in the theater earlier. Keeping his Poker Face intact, even with the Rainbow Maiden still on his face, Kaito decided to keep up the light-hearted bantering so as to not spook Shin-chan.

"Well, you're no fun~! I would have to continue this conversation but it seems that an uninvited guest has arrived. However...I will send you another invitation soon, Detective of the East. But this time, it will be as...a client."

"Client? What are you talking about?!"

Azure orbs peered through the slanted holes in the mask, making contact with slightly widened sapphire-colored ones that seemed to glow in the moonlight. "To find the ten-year-old KID Killer and my dearly beloved critic, Edogawa Agatha." The Phantom Thief explained, watching Shinichi's face turn bone-white and her petite frame freeze in place.

"W-what do you mean? W-why do you want me to find the K-KID Killer?"

But KID had scarcely opened his mouth to reply when his ears caught the slow footsteps suddenly became a fast tempo, ramping up the stairs and towards...the door?! The tuxedo-wearing criminal swore under his breath. Damn it. I was so close! I need to get Shinichi away from here! Snake and the others can't know about her!

Making a split decision, he sprinted over to the shell-shocked detective and grabbed her wrist. Pulling Shinichi across the rooftop, he guided them over to the tank and shoved her behind it. He locked eyes with his female companion, and hissed out a command in a voice that left no argument. "Listen to me very carefully, Kudo Shinichi. No matter what happens or what you hear, don't come out. This is not your place to get involved with. Understand?" Once he received a shaky reply from the young woman who still wore her deer-in-the-headlights expression, he sprinted back to the other side of the roof. Finding a spot where he had a clear view of both the door to the roof and the water tank, KID stood his ground. Pulling out his card gun and a few smoke bombs, the Phantom Thief leveled his gaze onto the only entrance to the rooftop.

Azure eyes narrowed as the door slammed open, revealing four men in black with a familiar face leading them. Snake sneered as he raised a sliver gun at KID. "I told you to stay from large jewels, though it seems like you never get the message. So I'll make this little reunion short and to the point: We've tolerated your bullshit long enough. It's time to step down from the stage and hand over the Rainbow Maiden, nice and easy." Snake pulled back the safety on the pistol. "Now."

KID smirked coyly behind the mask he was still wearing, twirling the card gun around his finger. "Well, I've never been a good listener to begin with, especially when my audience has people like you in it! And what purpose do you have with Pandora? Keep the big bad ol' Grim Reaper away for a few more decades?"

"Shut up! This is the last time I'm asking you nicely. Hand over the gem!"

KID rolled his eyes at the men. "Can't you come up with a few good lines, rather than the same cliched 'gangster' stuff you throw at me? It gets so awfully boring after hearing it more than once!"

Snake narrowed his beady eyes at the Phantom Thief. "Oh? Then I'm sure there are plenty of things to keep you from being bored. Once I send your sorry ass to Hell, that is!"

"Seriously? That's the best line you could come up with?!"

"The Organization doesn't pay me to put on silly theatrics with a good-for-nothing thief like you! However, there is a promise to bump my paycheck just a bit if I bring your head on a platter back to the boss. But if you want your death to sweet and short, hand over the Rainbow Maiden. This is your last warning, KID."

Behind the water tank, every word that drifted between KID and whoever he was talking to reached Shinichi's ears. She could feel the blood drain from her face as well as the thrumming of her frantic heart increase tenfold.

How was this possible? How could there still be more ravens roaming the skies of Tokyo when Jodie-san had assured her, as well as everyone else who was involved in taking down the Black Organization, that the nightmare was finally over? No more hiding, no more worrying that someone referred by an alcoholic name reached your ears? It took all of her willpower to stay silent and rooted to her spot. She was certain that they had brought down the entire Organisation. So then, who were these "men in black "?

Wait a minute...that codename. Snake.

It _does_ have a small reference to snake wine, which is produced and can be found throughout Southeast Asia by infusing whole snakes and rice wine or grain alcohol. They might be part of the Black Organization, or they could be a completely different group of people. The only thing Shinichi was certain about was that these men in black were dangerous, and incredibly so, if even Kaitou KID didn't want them seeing her. Trusting the Phantom Thief's judgement, and not wanting to get in his way, Shinichi stayed hidden, absorbing whatever she could hear about these men in black from their interaction with KID.

Meanwhile, Kaito could see that the tense situation was only going to get much worse. And he'd rather Shinichi not get further involved in his mess. A mirthless chuckle soon broke the heavy silence as KID's monocle reflected the full moon shining them. "It truly is a shame that this reunion has to be cut so short after my performance~! I'd love to stay for an encore but I've prepared something a little special for you. Take it as...a token of my displeasure~!" Bowing dramatically, and with a sleight of the hand, KID threw three smoke bombs onto the ground.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM!

Seeing the men in black choking for air and straining to see their target, KID used the diversion to fetch the damsel in distress from behind the water tank and flung both of them off the roof and into the night sky, activating the hang glider. Thankfully, Shinichi remained silent for the duration of the trip until he brought her to an alley at least three blocks from Clyro Villa. Whether it was due to shock, or fear, or common sense, he didn't know. And frankly, he could wait until they were a safe distance away to find out. Thankfully, the decoy he had sent out earlier had done its job, and the surroundings were clear of both the police as well as the media. But now the bigger question was, how can he proceed his investigation for Edogawa Agatha when Snake and the rest of his cronies might be out searching for the only link to his missing critic? It was a mistake; sending the second invitation with the heist notice was almost screaming that KID has some link to Kudo Shinichi. Why else would the Phantom Thief go to such lengths when Inspector Nakamori make it obvious last time that the Detective of the East would not be allowed to his shows, except in the company of Nakamori Aoko, his daughter?

Luckily, Snake hadn't spotted the hidden sleuth, but if the Organization thought that KID had some link to Shinichi, he knew they would stop at nothing until they had her. The situation would have to be rectified somehow. Maybe by convincing Shinichi to ditch his next few heists? No, the headstrong girl wouldn't listen to him at all. He would have to be the one to avoid her. KID would have liked to think that only time would tell at this point and figure things out as it went...but he had the ominous feeling that there wasn't much time left.

xPFx

Hashimoto Yusuke has spent the majority of his life in the criminal underworld, possessing zero tolerance for incompetent subordinates and those with a lack of obedience when they were given simple instructions. But not even years of dining even with the most black-hearted people could protect this hardened man from that person. His boss. The leader of their Organization who was staring at him with an unamused expression.

"I truly apologize for this evening's unfortunate outcome, Maestro. I did not expect -"

"Clearly," The person growled in English on the other side of their video conversation via Yusuke's laptop, "You did not expect anything because you have no control over the dogs who bend to your command! You have known me for a long time; I am patient, but even that has its limits. I put my faith in the skills you possess as a second-in-command, and you've returned my generosity with nothing but apologies and excuses! With each day that passes, the arrival of the Volley Comet comes closer! Have you already forgotten _why_ Pandora is so important to our cause? Do you remember what is its _role_?"

Beads of sweat started to trickle down Yusuke's portly face. "N-No, Maestro! I haven't forgotten!"

And who could forget? Pandora was a gem that could produce the elixir of immortality by 'crying' red tears beneath the full moon at the exact when the Volley Comet arrived. But drinking such a precious liquid could not be done directly from the stone itself in accordance with the prophecy. You would need something to utilize its full potential. And that was where purpose of The Box came in.

Constructed by a German scientist during World War II, the Box was originally used to insure that the Aryan race and the legacy of its Fuhrer would remain eternal by the gem's liquid, called by many as Pandora's Tears. But somehow over the ongoing struggle for Europe, both the machine and Pandora were lost. Now almost a century later, the Organization had one part to unlocking the key to immortality in their grasp. And they needed to find the other piece before it is too late.

That person glared at the second-in-command for a few moments until it was fitting to address him once more. "Good. Continue the search and when I contact again, bring me results. Understand?"

"Y-Yes, Maestro! A-And what about the young lady that Snake had claimed to see when KID made his escape? Kudo Shinichi?"

"...Keep an eye on her for now. She might be useful later. I must leave. I've kept my guests waiting long enough. Dismissed." And just like that, the puppet-master pulling everyone's strings vanished from the computer screen as quickly as they had appeared. Hashimoto released the breath he had been holding onto.

Snake and others could not screw up next time. If they did...it wasn't that hard to figure out what exactly would happen to the Organization's second-in-command at the next meeting. They needed to find Pandora. _Now_.

* * *

 **It looks like the Organization is becoming more desperate to find Pandora, and might use any means necessary to obtain this precious gem!** **Now aware that his enemies will try to harm Shinichi, but what lengths will Kuroba Kaito and KID go to protect the Detective of the East? Will this development have any affect on their developing relationship? Or will the Rainbow Maiden work its ancient magic and bind these together to face against the odds stacked against them?**

 **For those who are a little confused at the character talking to the Organization's boss, Hashimoto Yusuke is the name I've given to the unnamed sub-boss of the Organization seen during the Blue Birthday heist!**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	12. Chapter Eleven

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana** and **Vivian Graythorn** for all their help with the eleventh act of _Paper Faces!_ Now, let the long-awaited performance commence before the eager audience! Please enjoy the show! :)

* * *

As if a forgotten deity had heard Kaito's unspoken prayers, the last week of the first semester arrived just when the Rainbow Maiden heist concluded. To the students, especially for the seniors, this was a sign that their much-needed summer break was around the corner. However it also indicated that the first stretch in their education would be coming: midterm exams. Studying for all six subjects and being prepared for any surprises from the teachers gave the magician a perfectly valid excuse to avoid Shin-chan. Furthermore, he could hone his concentration on an unexpected development that popped up in his alter-ego's life.

Snake.

That man had been trouble from the very beginning of KID's public return. And if something were to happen to the coffee-haired sleuth through the criminal's actions as either himself or the civilian mask called Kuroba Kaito, he could never forgive himself. Pushing Shin-chan away would more than likely be incurring Ahouko's wrath via a swinging mop from out of nowhere (the prankster had heard through the grapevine that she was trying to arrange another date for him and Shin-chan), but that was a risk he was willing to take.

Kaito sighed softly as he stared blankly at the highlighted notes he made for his Physics exam, unable to concentrate the material due to these thoughts running through his mind. Azure orbs glanced to the side and saw a small, velvet box sitting next to the reading lamp. Picking up the magician opened it, seeing a miniature version of the Rainbow Maiden staring at him with hollow, slanted eyes.

On his way back home, Kaito decided to visit the theater - it was on the same day that the troupe of _Paper Faces_ would be giving one last performance before leaving Ekoda to go to Osaka - and purchase a few items from the souvenir booth in the main lobby; the first item was the pin he now held in his grasp and the other was a necklace, another smaller piece that resembled the jeweled mask on a silver chain, currently tucked away in one of his desk drawers. In all honestly, he did not know what compelled him to purchase them in the first place. Maybe...even with everything that's going on right now, he wanted to believe the legend behind the Rainbow Maiden. And give Shin-chan something to believe in as well.

A sardonic smirk twitched the corners of his mouth as Kaito plucked the pin up from its velvet cushion and held it up to the fluorescent light. _Heh. I guess Akako-chan's belief in magic has finally rubbed off of me, and it only took three years. It would be nice...to think that Shin-chan and I are destined to be together, despite the odds. Just like Aoko and that British prat; both of them are a match made in heaven - both have a strong ideology of justice that they share between them. The two of us? We're polar opposites - on different sides of the law. We might even be enemies._ The young magician's countenance slumped at the thought, and tried to shake it off by putting the pin back in its box and resume studying. At least until his optimism faltered for the second time in the evening as Kaito recalled what Shin-chan would be doing over the summer.

The dark-haired teen did not specify where exactly she would be going except that it was at a mansion in the Kyoto countryside that belonged to the Borja family. Curious, he looked the name up during Japanese Literature class and immediately remembered it. An influential clan from Spain, there were a few of their jewels he had listed as possible candidates to be Pandora, but KID decided not to go after them at the time since their current whereabouts were unknown; furthermore the Borja was still struggling to attain the headship over their family, and personally, the Phantom Thief did not like to get involved in messy situations like that. Shinichi did not reveal any more information regarding her trip, except that she would be gone for the first three days of summer vacation.

Kaito did not pry Shinichi any further out of politeness; in his perspective, the trip seemed long enough to resist the temptation to send random text messages with emojis, and devote himself to the activities of his alter ego. Despite what he felt towards Shinichi, KID had an obligation to find the KID Killer, his most beloved critic. And the Phantom Thief needed to find a solution to contact the Detective of the East without drawing Snake's attention.

Getting the Organization involved was _not_ an option.

Inhaling a deep breath, Kaito opened closed the Physics notebook and put it to the side, putting a dog-eared English textbook in front of them. _I can't just go over to her place as KID because Shin-chan would more than likely try to kick a soccer ball at me than listen to reason. What if...I don't need to talk to her directly?_ Azure orbs began to widen as the magician was suddenly hit with an epiphany. _Shin-chan knows that Kuroba Kaito is a big fan of KID. So it wouldn't odd to have someone who claims to look up to the Phantom Thief act as a middle-man. A messenger with sealed envelopes and a signature that Shin-chan would recognize! Yosh, I'm a genius!_ Suddenly stricken with a bolt of motivation, the dark-haired teen enthusiastically resumed concentration on his studies before he casted a glance at the drawer closest to him.

A small and secretive smile then stretched across his lips, revealing the tips of his teeth. In addition to his duties as KID, Kaito made a promise to Shin-chan to do something for her, even when the request itself came from Aoko as a binder titled _The Witch's Banquet_ with a sticky note that had three words written on it: Please read me.

 _I wonder...what sort of side will I see when I unearth the fruits of your labor. Neh, Shin-chan?_

xPFx

Shinichi was drained, for the lack of a better word as her small frame sank into the mattress under her. Right when the midterms had ended, the Detective of the East packed up and left for the writer's conference, sponsored by the Borja family, at the hotel where it was held. Today was spent at Shinichi's current residence, and tomorrow the festivities would be held in the Borja's home in the countryside.

The first day and a half opened the door of the literary world for this novice novelist; most of the panels were by invitation only, which meant that there were no crowds at the panels except at the stipulated time slots. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk with prominent publishers and authors, even learn a few things from their own personal experience. Armed with pen, paper, and her tranquilizer watch, Shinichi was at the conference panels until there had been an hour left to get ready for dinner.

She had been fortunate enough to meet a few representatives from prominent publishing houses who offered to read her manuscript, especially at the VIP-only workshops where authors would read the first five to ten pages and suggest on how to edit it so as to suit publication guidelines. But so far, despite meeting these people and receiving very helpful advice, what Shinichi was enjoying the most on this trip was being able to spend time with her family as Kudo Shinichi, rather than hanging around her parents as their 'distant relative' Edogawa Agatha.

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, the coffee-haired teen saw that it was ten to six o'clock. _Time to get ready for dinner and met Mom and Dad in the banquet hall._ Shinichi thought as she sat up from the bed and got changed. Satisfied with the evening black dress and matching low-heeled sandals, the Detective of the East pocketed her key card and went downstairs.

When she arrived at the table that the Night Baron author had reserved ahead of time, the three of them began to catch up on what has been happening before Shinichi had moved to Ekoda. Yukiko was especially interested. Despite the contrasting personalities that both the mother and child had, the Kudo women actually maintained a very close relationship even when the latter was poisoned by the Black Organization.

As her daughter narrated endless tales that occurred in her home, especially about the friends she made - Aoko and Hakuba-san - a knowing smile spread across the mouth of the former actress as Shinichi animatedly talked about her 'date' with Kaito and how no one died when they were at Tropical Land. Both Yuusaku and Yukiko shared a knowing smile before motioning for their confused daughter to continue her story, who was curious at the reason behind their expression. It seemed that their little girl was growing up, and with help from the only son of a certain teacher who taught Yukiko all she knew on the fine art of deception; from the pitch of a voice, to intricate and complex make-up.

Perhaps a trip to Ekoda in the near future was in order? The brunette thought about that for a second and shrugged. Maybe, but not anytime soon. What mattered at this very moment, was talking and spending these few days as an actual family. No more secrets, no more hiding from men dressed in black. When dessert was passed around their table by one of the waiters, a pale-faced maid suddenly appeared and whispered in the man's ear. Yuusaku and Shinichi narrowed their blue orbs ever so slightly as they heard what was being said between the staff before sharing a look.

Nodding to one another, Shinichi pulled out her phone and started tapping it while Yuusaku stood up. His wife, having a dreaded thought and a very intelligent guess about what exactly was going on, followed the bespectacled novelist out of the banquet hall to the hotel's barely used reading room. Sprawled out on the couch with two puncture wounds in her neck was Sara Borja, the CEO of The Quill and current family head, age 38. A half an hour passed before Inspector Megure and a few other members from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrived on the scene. Within that allotted time, Shinichi, with unexpected assistance from her mother, they were able to gather testimony from the staff and the people who last saw Sara alive.

Motosuwa Minoru, age 49 and Sara's editor who worked for the prominent publishing house Red Butterfly. Watanabe Mei, a 34 year-old guest speaker at the conference who wrote a vampire romance series that was popular with teenage girls. Finally, 25-year old Shiba Yamato; he had accompanied Sara to the conference as her assistant.

After an autopsy and sweep around the room was conducted, Megure informed Yuusaku and Shinichi that the victim had been drugged by the handkerchief - which was heavily dosed with chloroform - before her body had been completely drained of blood. Time of death is estimated around two and three o'clock this afternoon. The reading room can be accessed through a hotel key card. But how could that have been done without anyone noticing? Yes, there were no cameras in this room for the guests' privacy, though it almost seemed impossible to take almost five and half liters of blood away from the crime scene. At least, until the Detective of the East examined the victim's feet and saw a needle mark on her right toe.

Once Shinichi and the Night Baron author were given permission to search each of the suspects' rooms, the two of them each found clues. A contract between Sara and her editor, a bottle of red wine in the fridge, and a letter dated back almost twenty years ago. Comparing the evidence and testimonies that each member of the Kudo family had gathered, both father and daughter were able to pinpoint a motive, and a murderer.

The killer was Yamato but he did not act alone. His accomplice, originally believed to be Mei because the crime scene itself was from a chapter in her latest novel, was actually Sara's editor. Both of them tried to deny the fact with their air-tight alibis, yet the coffee-haired sleuth pointed out a few things that either man overlooked: Sara was on medication that could not allow her to drink any alcohol whatsoever. So why would there be any wine in her fridge? Furthermore, it takes almost thirty minutes for human blood to dry on the sort of the floor that was in the reading room. And finally, red wine is hard to distinguish from blood by merely observing it through the bottle.

Following his daughter, Yuusaku presented the contract between Sara and her editor as well as the letter from twenty years ago; the latter was in fact, related to the rightful heir to the Borja family. And that person had been the child of Sebastian Borja and his younger sister, Cassandra. Shiba Yamato is just an alias for Nathaniel Borja, Cassandra's son and the one who should have been the family head instead of a washed up writer.

Cornered in the conference room with the other suspects and Inspector Megure, the two men reluctantly confessed the deed and the motives behind it: for Yamato - Nathaniel - it was revenge for having his mother being denied and disrespected what was rightfully hers after solving the epitaph that Sebastian created 18 years ago, and above all else, insulted by Sara who both denied the fact that her father truthfully died from a heart attack. That was why Sara had been chosen as the first victim, though Nathaniel admitted that he wanted to wait until the conference had been moved to the family home in the countryside. Minoru knew it like the back of his hand and had a very good reason for wanting to get rid of Sara too.

Blackmail.

Having failed to become a writer before working for Red Butterfly, Minoru was responsible for writing the parody of a novel that was received poorly by both critics and readers before the author herself committed suicide. The writer had been Mei's younger sister, Watanabe Yui. Sara found out and used the blackmail to keep him as her agent as well as the ruse while she tried to create another novel that would eclipse the success of her first novel _Madam Caterpillar_. But after twenty-five failed novels in a ten year span pushed Minoru over the edge and helped Yamato commit the heinous crime.

The bespectacled Kudo patriarch stared at the criminals with a hardened expression before he turned to Shinichi, who in turn pulled out a thick folder and presented it to Yamato. What she had was Sebastian Borja's final draft. The previous family head penned down the final truth at the very end of his story before passing it down to his own editor and close friend Aoyagi Toji, just a half a day before Sebastian's sudden, cardiac arrest. Out of deference to the departed, Toji never opened the sealed manuscript.

As the family watched the awestruck men being carried away the police, they silently reflected on how the literary world could be both inspiring, and cruel to others.

Once the two-day trip ended at the Borja family home - in which the atmosphere had a cloud of sadness hanging over it, especially with Sara's husband and daughter who was around Shinichi's age -, Yuusaku and Yukiko said good-bye to their own child. They would be flying onwards to America, and then to London. While Yukiko crushed Shinichi in a tearful hug, Yuusaku merely ruffled the sleuth's coffee-haired tresses as she struggled to breathe while captured in her mother's vice grip. Once farewells had been exchanged and the taxi carrying her parents had driven away, Shinichi left the Kyoto countryside in her own taxi.

But rather going directly to Ekoda, the coffee-haired sleuth decided to take a short detour to the wrought iron gates at 2-21 Beika. The Kudo Residence. Her old home. She would spend the night here and catch up with Professor Agasa before returning to Ekoda on an afternoon train ride. Even though it had been a while since she had come to this place, Shinichi always saw this musty and rather gloomy mansion as home (both are which caused by the lack of light and fresh air). Unlocking the heavy wooden doors, she entered the building just when it began to drizzle outside.

Shinichi really did not care about seeing a few cobwebs in the banister as she walked up the stairs with her suitcase; right now, she was too tired to give a damn. The important thing was that she had arrived in Beika before it was dark, there was a comfortable bed waiting for her, and above all else within walking distance of the person she wanted to talk to since the Rainbow Maiden heist. Haibara. So many questions buzzed through the little grey cells, with only more of them coming instead of receiving answers despite the hours of Internet and library research Shinichi had invested in.

Who was Snake? Was there another branch of the Black Organization that the FBI and CIA overlooked? Or is this a completely different syndicate who wanted a gem to become immortal?

Whichever the case might be, any syndicate spelled bad news in bold and capitalized letters. On that night, those men on the roof had been carrying guns. Proper guns, with proper bullets, that would kill.

And before she realized it, Shinichi had found herself fearing for a life that was not hers: Kaitou KID's. In spite of all the chaos that he caused wherever he went, the Phantom Thief was a good man who had a strict 'no-one-gets-hurts' rule. The reasons why he fired his card gun were to either protect himself or on nearby objects so he could make an escape. And from the bloodlust that she sensed on the theater rooftop, those men in black would not hesitate to kill. Either way, the dark-haired teen was going to get the bottom of this mystery. And the first step was to talk to Haibara.

Inhaling a deep breath as she hoisted the suitcase on top of the bed, Shinichi glanced at her wrist watch. There were still a few more hours until Haibara was out of school, so the Detective of East could unpack her belongings and take a small nap before interrogating the small scientist on the Organization.

Once her clothes had been put away and the luggage placed in a corner of the room, the coffee-haired teen laid on the bed with her phone on the nightstand - set up to wake her up in an hour - . Just as the exhaustion from the last few days started to kick in, a nagging feeling in the back of Shinichi's mind came back full-force.

 _Kuroba-san has been avoiding me for a while. The midterm exams were pretty tough, but I wonder why he hasn't been blowing up my phone with text messages. I get at least two or three of them a day. Still...why does it bother me so much?_ Shinichi thought before her blue orbs eventually closed, falling into a light sleep.

But what the teen sleuth did not realize as she rested in her old bedroom, something deep within the Kudo Residence came to life in its dark prison. A sudden, and bright garnet light shining for a moment before it faded as quickly it had appeared.

* * *

 **Summer break has just begun, though it seems that there is no rest for the Kudo clan as their much-awaited reunion quickly becomes entangled with an unexpected tragedy and closure of the Borja case. Now it seems that Shinichi is determined to figure out who are the men in black that have targeted KID at the Rainbow Maiden heist! Will Haibara give Shinichi the truth that she is seeking about Snake and a gem that grants eternal life, or the little scientist throw the Detective of the East** **off of her tracks? Decisions, decisions :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	13. Chapter Twelve

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana** and **Vivian Graythorn** for all their help with the next anticipating act of _Paper Faces!_ Now, let the performance commence! Please enjoy the show! :)

* * *

It had been a while since Kudo-chan had come back to Beika. At least, that was what it felt like to Haibara as she fussed around the kitchen in a powder-blue apron and kept an eye on Agasa so that he did not eat all of the salt-boiled edamame before the main course. He had been doing good so far on the strict diet regime she's put him on, and the little scientist would be damned if Kudo-chan screwed that up despite the occassion. _Still...I wonder how she's adjusting to her true form? I haven't heard of any side-effects yet unless she has conveniently forgotten to tell me that._

Ice-blue orbs narrowed ever so slightly at the thought while Haibara stirred the bubbling pot from her stepping stool. Tonight's meal was _rei-shabu_ , a cold shabu-shabu dish that is filled with vegetables and meat that also had a high nutrition value. It was certainly better that the suggestion to go out and splurge at the revolving ramen shop that just opened up in the shopping district with meal tickets Agasa had won through a lottery.

Around ten minutes to seven o'clock, the doorbell rang and Haibara could swear that seeing the slightly overweight scientist had moved faster than he ever did on their adventures with the Detective Boys. Then again, Kudo-chan was like the granddaughter he never had; and she hadn't been calling them much after moving to Ekoda. Haibara almost chuckled at the enthusiasm in the man's voice as he allowed a coffee-haired teen to enter the house.

"Oh, Shinichi-chan! You're early but that's all right! Come in, come in! Ai-kun is in the kitchen right now but I'm sure she'll be out shortly! Tell me, what's happened since we last talked? Oh, we also have some snacks! Are you hungry?"

Shinichi gave Agasa a soft, fond smile while following him to the living room. She had known the inventor since she and Ran were children, and the sleuth had grown fond of the bumbling scientist and his explosive experiments over the years. If anything, he had been more of a parent figure to the young teen than anyone else when her parents were traveling around the world.

It took a while, but Shinichi was finally able to calm him down by letting him know that she has not lost weight and was perfectly healthy, nor did she need any snacks. Including being in charge of cooking healthy meals and budgeting around the inventor's bachelor pad, Haibara Ai also had an iron fist around the tidiness of the place. That was the entire reason why there was even any visible seating space in the living room, which had over the years been littered with research papers and tools.

After the usual questions about how Shinichi was settling into her life at Ekoda, the conversation shifted to the more recent of Agasa's experiments. He was telling her about the prototype of a hoverboard he was working on, when a girl with short light brown hair and hardened crystal blue eyes entered the room.

"Hello, Kudo-chan. It's nice to see you again. Agasa wouldn't stop talking about you all morning. But really, you should try and call more often so you don't worry him too much. It isn't good for his heart."

Shinichi rolled her eyes in good humor, a small smirk twitching the corners of her mouth as she looked down at the young girl. "Hello to you too, Haibara. You're right, it's nice to be back here. Ekoda is good, but I really do miss Beika. How's everything been with you?"

Once the simple pleasantries had been exchanged, the conversation moved to more jovial topics, with Shinichi narrating a few incidents from Ekoda. There were moments where Haibara shook her head at the detective's antics or made a snide remark; nonetheless, she was entertained by it all. Especially when the coffee-haired teen talked about a boy named Kuroba-san.

However, when dinner had finished and Agasa went to fetch the (healthier version) of mitarashi dango from the kitchen, Shinichi leaned over and whispered softly in Haibara's ear. "We need to talk."

Haibara's small frame straightened at the sudden statement. The little scientist had no idea what Kudo-chan could want to talk about, especially not when the Professor was out of earshot to overhear them. As far as she knew, he was the person Kudo-chan trusted with everything and anything. So, for there to be something that she was hiding from even him, meant that this was serious business. Taking the hint, she looked up and nodded at the taller girl. Shuffling closer to her, Haibara leaned towards the other girl.

"Alright. What is it?"

"Are you positive that we brought down the entire BO? Every single member?"

Haibara balked at the question. She had expected Kudo-chan to be slightly wary of them, and to be expecting trouble around every corner, but this was a bit much. However, she trusted the detective to not approach her unless something major had happened. Making a decision, the brunette took a deep breath. "What happened for you to ask me that? The entire story, every detail in an abbreviated version, if possible."

That was when Kudo-chan revealed what 'really' happened at the Rainbow Maiden heist that took place not that long ago in Ekoda, including seeing a man dressed in black threatened KID to hand over his target and the latter taunting him about avoiding the Grim Reaper a little longer. Haibara inquired if the Detective of the East had gotten a name, and she did. Snake.

Haibara felt her blood suddenly freeze and face lose its pallor. It couldn't be them...could it? After all of this time? The little scientist almost jolted out of her seat when Kudo-chan called out to her in a concerned tone, but masked the surprise by taking a deep breath. This did not seem good at all. She had a bunch as to who Snake was, but she needed a little more information from the sleuth first.

Steeling her nerves, ice-blue orbs locked onto dark blue. "Kudo-chan, what do you know about this 'Pandora' that they were talking about?"

"Nothing. My guess is that it's a gemstone that both these people and KID are after. Neither wants the other to have it. That's all." Haibara fixed her companion with an intense stare before carefully answering Shinichi.

"You're close to it. Pandora is a mythical gem that can supposedly grant immortality. However, it may not be as mythical as people believe."

Shinichi matched her glance with a very confused and exasperated look. That did not surprise Haibara in the slightest; throughout all of their adventures in both taking the Black Organization and solving mysteries with the Detective Boys, Edogawa Agatha had always been able to find the one truth behind an impossible scenario. And knowing the now-grown up detective, Shinichi would not stop until all of the pieces fit into place.

"Haibara, what is going on? There's a syndicate with men dressed in black, Kaitou KID, and this 'Pandora'. Nothing makes sense!"

Haibara stared at Shinichi long and hard before sighing heavily. It was a little hard to believe that they were still around, but the person pulling the strings from the darkness is tenacious, so the little scientist will give them that. "Come with me to the office." That was all that needed to be said as the brunette began walking towards the back of the house but not before throwing a half-hearted glare at Agasa when she spotted him trying to steal another helping of dango behind her back. In a matter of minutes they were in the designated room.

The young girl gestured to a chair near the large desk. "Take a seat, Kudo-chan. You might need it." Plopping herself down on the swiveling chair that the inventor had specifically made for her birthday last year - Haibara loved the tiny strap on the bottom that can cleverly conceal the gun she almost always carries outside of Teitan Elementary - she booted up the PC. A few more minutes passed until Haibara found what she was looking for, and turned to Shinichi with a slightly hardened expression.

"As you're already well aware, there were two purposes for the APTX 4869: to be an untraceable weapon for people who knew too much about the Black Organization, and extending a human's lifespan by the rejuvenation of cells. The goal that they've been striving for half a century until their demise. But they were not the only ones who were interested in finding a modern process to immortality. Take a look at this." The little scientist pulled up a blue screen. "Tell me what you see?"

Shinichi stood up from her seat and leaned over Haibara's shoulder to examine the contents. "These are blueprints for a machine, written in German...from 80 years ago? Haibara, what is this? And what does this have to do with the ravens and Snake?!"

"You're looking at their inspiration, Kudo-chan. Constructed in World War II and designed to cement Hitler's legacy in creating an ideal world, the Box would create a liquid that could reverse the aging process and restore a human's body. This formula was known as Pandora's Tears. But to attain these Tears, you would need its primary source." Haibara then pushed the screen to the side and opened another one with the mouse, double-clicking on it to enhance the image of a large, shining gem with a question mark hovering over it. "You would need Pandora to open the Box."

"T-This is...Pandora?"

Haibara nodded. "Yes. And then the machine became lost to the world once the Allies reclaimed Europe from Germany. But the Black Organization was somehow able to get hold of the Box and take whatever samples remained inside of it before that happened, and has tried to recreate Pandora's Tears with the Silver Bullet Project. But as you well know, it didn't exactly go according to plan with the shrinking effect." Ice-blue orbs locked onto widened darkened hues. "And to answer your question about Snake, I have a feeling that he's an operative for that Organization. He's not from the one that we took down, but these people are still just as dangerous. The Black Organization had come across them every now and again over the last 60 years or so. They didn't bother us, and we didn't bother them."

"So there's another syndicate that wants to attain immortality, but they can't do that without the machine or Pandora. And there's no record on what Pandora looks like?"

"Roughly speaking, yes. These documents are all that remains of the Pandora's Box project. The rest had disappeared along with the machine. On another note, these operatives seem to derive their code-names from the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac, and each of them are well-known international jewel thieves. However, since their crimes over the years tend to be random, the police can't get their hands on them. Not that they would let that happen, of course." Haibara looked at the Detective of the East with a raised brow. "Maybe that's why KID wants you to steer clear of them. You're a magnet for trouble, and getting involved in his battle with this Organization might make things nasty."

The brunette then logged off the computer and spun around the chair to give Shinichi her undivided attention. "I think I hear the professor getting more than his necessary consumption of dessert. Care to help me make sure that he doesn't get restricted from it for a few days?"

"I can't tell who is in charge of this house anymore, you or him?"

"Hush."

A few days later, the elementary school student and her guardian said good-bye to Shinichi after she promised them to come back to Beika over the winter holidays. Yuusaku and Yukiko were about as random with their actions as they are with their travels. And Professor Agasa did not want the Detective of the East to spend Christmas alone. Neither did Haibara, but she would never admit it out loud.

Still...the coffee-haired teen looked a little haggard as she loaded her luggage into the cab, even pale as a sheet of paper. Was it because of what they discussed in her office? Haibara's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought before she followed the eccentric engineer back into the house, shrugging her shoulders. Kudo-chan was stubborn, right to the point where she kept anything that bothered her in a jar with a tight lid.

But if something or someone can help Shinichi break this habit...Haibara had a feeling it would be Kuroba-san. After all, it isn't everyday you get to hear that the infamous curse in the Kudo family was not active for an entire day, especially when it was a date. And yes, that _did_ count as a date even if it was denied by Kudo-chan.

* * *

 **So, it looks like Haibara has revealed the connection between the Black Organization and the one that is determined to finish off KID to reclaim Pandora! But even after spending time with her loved ones in Beika, what could have possibly caused Shinichi to be pale and even a little shaken as the little scientist has observed? Did the revelations from the night before shock the Detective of the East or is there something else that is bothering her? More importantly though, how will she spend the rest of her summer vacation? Homework? A KID heist? Decisions, decisions! :)**

 **lease feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana, J0kersGirl,** and **Vivian Graythorn** for all their help. I could not have finished this chapter in time without them! Now, let the thirteenth act of _Paper Faces_ commence before our eager audience! :)

* * *

Shinichi leaned back in her chair, surveying the mess she had made on the dining room table. Papers laid scattered across the work-space, upon which margins were highlighted and glued with sticky notes. In one hand, the Detective of the East held a few sheets that contained a synopsis on her research over the last couple days, and the other was quickly typing in words on the LED screen of her laptop. After she had returned home from Beika, the dark-haired teen went straight to work on digging up any reference related to Pandora. She wanted to know more about this Organization and their men who were after this gem that could give someone immortality. The fact that KID was also involved increased her motivation, amongst everything else…

Blue orbs stole a glance at an adjacent room, memories from the last night in Beika suddenly playing in her mind like a movie. A secret room behind the bookcase in the Kudo Mansion. A large jewelry box with a letter addressed to Night Baron from someone with the initials KT. It was not hard to deduce who was the receiver, but the sender remained unknown because Shinichi did not know any of her father's friends who would give him jewelry. Especially when she knew for a fact that Kudo Yukiko was the only woman that Yuusaku had ever loved (despite her mother's occasional tantrum about her husband seeing someone else).

Shinichi then shook her head and resumed her task. Regardless, the numerous questions that ran through her mind as she thought more about what happened, coupled with the unexpected discovery just added more zest to this mystery.

The first day had been spent combing the Internet for any information about the gem with a few cross-references that included various KID heists that had recently happened and where these men from this particular syndicate had been spotted. Unfortunately, most of the data she found was redundant and unrelated. To find more useful information, the coffee-haired sleuth started mixing up her keywords on the search engine, hoping for a hit on one of the more unusual combinations. The effort yielded better results than before, but it still wasn't quite what she was looking for. It took almost all of her willpower to turn off the laptop and go to sleep at almost one o'clock in the morning.

Almost seven hours later and two cups of black coffee, Shinichi went back to work. Currently, it was midday with some progress having being made, although not much for the young woman to get further in her investigation. Any more information about a jewel that granted immortality and the Organization's criminal activity was nearly nonexistent. Haibara was not joking when she mentioned that there was a purpose behind their scattered actions.

Shinichi sighed heavily as she finished cleaning up a space used for her lunch - a package of instant beef flavored ramen and some white rice -, and was about to get back to work until the doorbell chimed. The Detective of the East had a visitor.

Surprised, she stood up and went to the door, wondering who would visit her at this hour. The sleuth certainly didn't order anything since she had been away; she lost her faith in delivery companies after solving homicide investigations as Edogawa Agatha. You just never knew if the person standing outside was someone doing their job or using it as a cover to murder.

Cautiously unlocking the door, she opened to see...a bouquet of flowers? No, lisianthus? Behind it was a familiar mop of jet-black hair.

"Surprise!"

Despite herself, Shinichi returned Kaito's goofy grin with a small one of her own before letting him come inside. Accepting the flowers, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a vase to fill it with sugar-water. The magician was right behind the young woman, closing the door behind him and sitting down on the sofa after he took off his shoes, leaving them by the entrance. When his gaze fell upon on the messy dining room table, Kaito sighed dramatically.

"Looks like Yukihira-san was right about bringing lisianthus instead of roses. You need the extra calmness to balance that habit of overworking yourself. This is summer vacation, Shin-chan! You need to _relax_!"

Shinichi rolled her eyes and as she finished arranging the flowers, placing them in their new home on the breakfast bar. Once that task was complete, she returned to the living room and sat next to him on the couch.

"While your concern is appreciated, and I'm very glad to see you. What bring you to my humble corner of the world, Kuroba-san?" The Detective of the East asked with a small smirk twitching the corner of her mouth.

Kaito shot a glare at her, causing Shinichi to burst into laughter at the offended expression he wore from calling him by his last name. She couldn't help it; it was too golden an opportunity to not pass up. When he puffed out his cheeks and looked away like a child being denied access to the cookie jar, Shinichi decided to let up on the poor guy. It was fun to tease him, but she didn't want Kuroba-san to up and leave because of it. Not that he would, though interacting with him had taught Shinichi that this rising magician was as unpredictable and random as the weather itself.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop. But really Kaito-kun, what brings you here? How's Aoko-chan?" Shinichi watched in both surprise and amusement as his countenance suddenly did a one-eighty, scooting closer to the sleuth with a determined glint in his eyes.

"Ahouko is fine, she's in Osaka for a week with Keiko and some other girls from our class. She texted me and said that she got your message that you were home, so I'd figured you'd you'd be holed up here, drowning yourself in pointless work that can wait until tomorrow to finish up. Therefore, I've decided that we're going out for the day. We'll get lunch and hang out somewhere afterwards. No ifs, ands, or buts; none of this is up for debate! So please hurry up and get changed so we can go have some fun! This is what summer is all about! Taking a break from studying in that hellhole called 'high school'. "

Shinichi gawked at him for a full minute before she regained her bearings. Blinking up at him, she spoke slowly.

"Kaito, you can't just ask someone to come for lunch at a moment's notice. They could have important work to be done. Like -" Shinichi floundered as she thought of a suitable reply. "Like chores! And summer assignments! Or did you entirely forget about those things that a normal person does during the day?"

Kaito just looked at his companion with an eyebrow raised that clearly said 'are you kidding me?'. He responded, and in a voice that left no more argument and aware that he wasn't buying her excuse.

"You really expect me to believe that you have urgent homework in the middle of summer break, that can't possibly be done at any other time save for now?"

Knowing she was beaten, because the magician wasn't going to let this pass, Shinichi sighed in defeat. "Alright, wait here for a while. Let me change and fix myself a little. We can't have the famous magician being accompanied by a mess." Gathering up the papers scattered across the room, she took them into the back of the apartment and closed the door, intending to change into something more presentable for another 'date' with Kuroba-san.

xPFx

Shinichi idly tapped her foot as she waited for the magician to come back with their tickets. Once he had successfully infiltrated her home, Kaito had proceeded to pull the sleuth out of the apartment complex and down three blocks were a ramen stand recently opened up. He simply could not believe that she had not tried it yet because their signature beef ramen dish was "to just die for", though he quickly added that his comment was in no relation to the Detective of the East's supposed curse.

Surprisingly, it didn't bother Shinichi as much as she would have thought and proceeded to roll her eyes at his antics. It was better to go along with whatever he wanted to do instead of arguing with him.

(Not that she would ever admit it, but Kaito had a very accurate idea of which place served the best local cuisine. Her taste buds were beautifully pampered whenever she accompanied him.)

An hour later, the two teens walked out of the establishment with satisfied appetites and decided to walk around the market for a while, trying to figure out what to do next. Kaito was the sort of person who planned things as he went along rather than having an itinerary written down to the last letter. Furthermore, it took a bit more convincing and dramatic acting on his part to persuade Shinichi to go to the movies.

Despite what he outwardly projected to the young woman in terms of cajoling her to do these activities, Kaito had actually put some serious thought into this "date". The dark-haired teen knew that the new thriller _Silence of the Opera House_ had just been released the previous day, and it seemed to be right up Shinichi's alley with its mystery/horror genre. For once, it seemed that the detective was oblivious about his intentions. A little bit of clever manipulation on his part, and soon the two of them were standing outside of the cinema. Kaito asked Shinchi to wait while he got the tickets. There was no reason to make her suffer in line at the ticket kiosk.

About fifteen to twenty minutes later, Kaito finally returned with a pair of indigo-colored vouchers and a wide grin on his face. "Sorry it took me so long, Shin-chan! I didn't think the line would take so long but I did it!"

The coffee-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Glad to hear it. Still, I'm surprised to see a lot of people here. There aren't many movies playing right now, are there?" Shinichi asked, noticing that there were more children standing with their parents than teens their age.

Kaito shrugged. "Not really, except that Kamen Yaiba movie special that's supposed to be a two-day event at selected theaters." When Shinichi gave him a strange look, he raised an eyebrow. "What? There was an article about it in the entertainment section of today's paper! Didn't you see it?"

"I'm more interested in current affairs of the state than events I won't likely be going to."

"Well, aren't you a ball of sunshine this afternoon~!"

"I've only had two cups of black coffee."

The magician eyed the sleuth warily, a hint of disgust in his gaze at the mention of Shinichi's preferred beverage. "Do I dare ask how much caffeine you consume during the day with that - that stuff?"

Shinichi shrugged as the two of them walked up the steps to the cinema's double doors. "Four or five, depending on how my day is going and the workload I have to do that includes schoolwork." Kaito's face turned bone-white at the answer, though still kept his grip on the door when he swung it open for his female companion.

"That's too much, Shin-chan! You need to have other fluids besides black coffee! What about water? Juice?"

"And this is coming from the guy that has three hot chocolates every morning with extra cream and a few marshmallows?" The Detective of the East countered when her gaze fell upon the concession stand. "Did you want anything from there? You've paid for the tickets, I can at least get us some snacks."

Kaito frowned. "Don't try and change the subject on me! Seriously Shin-chan, you need to take your health a little more seriously! You can't properly function on a diet that only has junk food and coffee. Sounds like I'll have to ask Ahouko for her spare key to the apartment and bring over homemade food every day."

"You wouldn't _dare_."

"If it will ensure that you don't get sick on us because of poor food choices, then I'll gladly take a soccer-ball to the face."

"How about one below the belt?"

"Shin-chan!"

The Detective of the East ignored Kaito and just continued her trek to the usher standing near a row of movie posters. Once their tickets had been punched and given directions to where their show would be playing, the magician decided to go ahead and bite the proverbial bullet. He really didn't want to ask Shinichi about this before going to the show, but he just had to know.

"Uh, Shin-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I...I was able to finish up that story you wanted me to read over vacation. _The Witch's Banquet_ , right?"

Azure orbs locked onto bright blue as Shinichi raised an eyebrow at him, halting her footsteps on the carpeted floor. "Right. So, how was it? Is the plot all right or does it need some improvement before I submit it to the publishing company for a final revision?"

Kaito shook his head. "N-No, it was really good and it kept me interested until the ending! It's just...I couldn't help noticing how vivid the details were on describing the crime scene and the characters' interactions, including the protagonist. It was as if you were on the cursed island yourself."

For just a second, Shinichi's small frame became tense and her eyes wide before the shocked expression became neutral. Anyone else would have missed this sudden switch in body language, though being the Phantom Thief had taught Kaito to notice these things to a certain degree of hyper-awareness. It also helped him get out of a few tight spots with Snake at the beginning of his criminal career. Deciding not to call her out on it at the moment, Kaito stowed away that piece of information for later reference, and decided to continue with their 'date'.

A date that was going rather splendidly until an ear-splitting scream filled the air. The kind of panicked wail that usually meant someone was dead. Again.

xPFx

When Shinichi finally returned to Clyro Villa, it was almost ten o'clock in the evening. As soon as she followed the source of the tell-tale cry that someone had found a cadaver in the men's restroom, thankfully it did not turn out to be anything sinister. The executive manager of the theater had been suffering from a heart attack, and needed medical attention as soon as possible. Kaito helped keep both the middle-aged man and the small crowd that surrounded them remain as calm as he could while Shinichi dialed 119 for an ambulance.

The two of them were able to save a life, but missed about half an hour of the movie they were going to see. Just as the teens walked out of the cinema to do something else, one of the associates presented them with tickets for a later show of the film, courtesy of the company for their help. Shinichi tried to decline the offer since she was just happy that the man was all right, but the customer services leader insisted. If Kaito had not been there by her side, then she would have tried to think of another method to get away and hide in a corner. The pair took the tickets, and walked around the area until it was time to try and watch _Silence of the Opera House_ again.

There weren't any more interruptions, and the movie was about three hours long. The plot piqued Shinichi's interest, though the way that some of the actors (who were supposed to be the local police) performed a standard procedure on a crime scene irked the hell out of her until Kaito shoved a piece of chocolate in her mouth. This effectively silenced the detective and ensured that the rest of the audience wouldn't kick them out. Not that the class prankster would let that happen, of course, but still.

Once the credits started rolling, they left the cinema and went to a new restaurant that had also just opened up. It was supposed to be offering French cuisine. What better way to subtly show off to the girl he liked than to display his fluency of the world's most romantic language to the waiter who took their orders? But on the way out, the pair came across a crying little girl who got separated from her parents in the lobby.

Kaito didn't like to see children upset, so he did what was best to dry a princess' tears: magic. His impromptu show eventually drew everyone else whom were still waiting to be seated and applauded the young man for an encore. Unfortunately, a hostess politely asked them to leave with a tight smile on her ruby-red lips. While the somewhat request/demand did not bother him in the slightest, Kaito still apologized to Shinichi with a sheepish smile. Though, much to his surprise, the Detective of the East just shook her head.

"It's all right. It was nice seeing what your 'magic' did for those kids. Half of them looked like that they wanted to run away and do something else. Can't say I blame them, getting all dressed up just to have adults talk over drinks and other topics that don't make any sense to them."

Unfortunately for the almost oblivious teen, recalling what she used to experience as Edogawa Agatha almost gave herself away to KID's biggest fan. However, Kaito made no comment on her response, which brought up two plausible reasons why: 1) He did not notice it or 2) He chose not to say anything. Being the hopeless sap that he could be for this girl, Kaito insisted on walking Shinichi back to her apartment.

When they arrived at Room 223, Kaito smiled sunnily for a moment before he pouted. When Shinichi asked what was wrong, the expression deepened ever so slightly.

"Shin-chaaannn~! What about my goodnight kiss? Surely you know the proper etiquette for a date with a moonlight walk? The maiden gives her knight in shining armor a kiss for being a good escort!"

The coffee-haired teen playfully rolled her eyes at the boy. Making the decision she would later attribute to a rare about of insanity, she stood on her toes and quickly pecked Kaito's puffy cheek.

Turning around, she pulled out her keys and went inside after fiddling with the lock for a few seconds. Just when she was about to close the door, Shinichi caught a glimpse of the dark-haired boy who was still standing in front of her door. His jaw had gone slack, and his eyes were uncharacteristically wide. Realizing what she did to cause such a rare reaction in Kaito, Shinichi's face resembled a maraschino cherry and did not die down for another half an hour. By then, she could finally fall asleep.

The next morning, after polishing off one cup of coffee, Shinichi found a cream-colored envelope underneath the newspaper at her front door. There was a pencilled message on the front. The calligraphy was written in a hand that she recognized almost as well as her own. Kaito. It read:

 ** _A friend asked to give you this note, and I was going to before I left when I had been rendered incapable of doing so by yesterday's...surprise._**

 ** _Thank you, by the way :) Have a good day and don't push yourself too hard!_**

Shinichi's blush returned full force as she recalled what the idiotic prankster was implying. Shaking her head, the half-awake sleuth tried to calm herself down by examining the letter she received, flipping it from front to back for a moment until returning to the former. That was when her eyes landed on the red wax seal holding it closed. That wouldn't have been quite so surprising if she hadn't noticed a detail she had earlier overlooked due to not being up before nine o'clock in the morning. Shinichi was used to enough official letters with wax seals, including certain individuals who were eccentric enough to use them. Yet what made the teen nervous about opening this particular letter was the caricature of a smiling man wearing a monocle and top hat in the bottom right-hand corner of the envelope.

This letter was from KID.

KID had used Kaito to pass on a message.

Swallowing her anxiety, Shinichi removed the blood-red wax seal with a letter opener and read the contents. With each word, dread settled into her stomach. The situation was getting even more complicated than it already was. Or needed to be.

The Phantom Thief wished to hire Beika's renowned sleuth to find the KID Killer. There were two more sheets of paper, including a physical description of Edogawa Agatha and her last known whereabouts. The reason for his search was merely out of concern, but he could not proceed any further than the progress report that was in her current possession.

If there was anyone who could solve the mystery of a child that suddenly vanished without a trace, it was Kudo Shinichi. The last few sentences were what tugged her heartstrings.

 _ **There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about my little critic and worry for her safety. If you accept this job, meet me at the following location written below. There will be compensation for your services.**_

 _ **KK**_

The Detective of the East sighed heavily, leaning against the breakfast bar with a frown on her pretty face as she tried to calm herself down. How could she help anyone, much less a wanted criminal, to look for someone that was part of a life that Shinichi wanted to forget? And more importantly, how was she supposed to locate someone who didn't even exist?

* * *

 **It looks like the mystery continues deepen with more twists and turns, including the Phantom Thief wanting to hire a detective to find his critic, and another date for this spectacular pair on Valentine's Day! :) I can't believe it's been seven months since I've started writing this story, with the amount of support and feedback being phenomenal. I still can't believe that it has almost reached a three digit number in reviews! If** _Paper Faces_ **reaches 101 reviews (I love odd numbers), that would be incredible! :) I hope everyone will enjoy the Feast of Saint Valentine with a special someone, their friends, or family!**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana, J0kersGirl,** and **Vivian Graythorn** for all their help. I could not have finished this chapter in time without their help! So without further ado, let the fourteenth act of _Paper Faces_ begin before our eager audience! :)

* * *

For the next three days Shinichi resumed with her research and summer assignments, yet the job request from KID still sat on the kitchen counter. The Detective of the East had barely gotten any sleep since that night and ended up doubling her daily caffeine intake so she could get through the day without falling over from exhaustion. What was she supposed to do? Decline the Phantom Thief or accept this impossible task? Tell KID a lie with help from some old contacts in the FBI? Tell him the truth? These questions kept running through her mind at every waking moment, even as the dark-haired teen toddled out of the grocery store with more canned coffee and microwavable meals in plastic bags.

"Shinichi!"

Sharp blue orbs widened and her feet almost skidded across the concrete until Shinichi caught herself from landing face first on the sidewalk. The sleuth knew exactly who was calling out to her judging by the timbre of their voice...but it was impossible. There was no way that she could be here in Ekoda, at this very moment! Right?

"Kudo Shinichi, don't you dare run away from me or I'll make you stay where you are!"

Swallowing the lump that suddenly lodged itself in her throat, Shinichi slowly turned around and gasped. Running towards her with untamed long brown hair and wide, bluish-purple eyes was someone that the budding novelist knew all too well.

"R-Ran?!" Shinichi had somehow found the strength to speak again even when the distance between them had closed within an instant. When the ballet flats of Beika's renowned karate champion stopped at less than an inch of the detective's own sneakered feet, Ran then looked up and smiled sunnily.

"Obviously, you mystery geek! Is it that easy to forget about little ol' me?" While Shinichi could quickly deduce the anxiety and motherly concern behind that little tease, this whole scenario seemed...surreal. Bizarre even. Taking a deep breath to calm herself and the thrumming heart in her ribcage to a steady beat, Shinichi looked at her childhood friend straight in the eye.

"Frankly, I thought you didn't want to be around me anymore after what happened. We didn't leave on the best of terms, and appearing at that KID fashion show was purely coincidental."

That was the unfortunate truth. Their friendship had gone as far as south as it possibly could after lying about where and what had _really_ happened to Kudo Shinichi for almost two years. That was part of the reason why she moved to Ekoda for the final year of secondary education. What had been the point of staying in Beika when all that the Detective of the East had done to her loved ones was cause trouble and pain?

Ran's smile did not falter at Shinichi's words, although her gaze grew a bit more sombre before she replied, "I know. And I'm not going to lie; I was hurt that you didn't trust me enough to tell me what actually happened after you went after that strange guy in Tropical Land. But I've had enough time to think about it. I'm not going to say that I agree with the method behind your proverbial madness, but I do understand where you're coming from. Things have changed, and we can't go back to that time of being carefree and worrying about passing our exams. But I do know that I don't want to keep going on like this. I miss my best friend, and the idiotic detective who knew how to cheer me up when I was sad. I want us to still be friends, Shinichi!"

Ran took a step forward and hugged a shell-shocked teen, who surprisenly kept a grip on her groceries. When the petite brunette pulled away, Ran's smile became even brighter. "And what better to catch up with an old friend than getting a snack at a cafe?" The karate champion then looked around the vicinity. "Do you know any good ones that aren't too crowded around lunch-time Shinichi?"

"Y-Yeah but I think I'd get kicked out for bringing in outside food," Shinichi answered sheepishly, raising one of the plastic bags up in the air. "I'd have to drop these off at my apartment before we could go anywhere -"

"Oh, you have an apartment? How about we go there instead! I'd love to see it!"

"I-It's a little messy!"

"Shinichi, your definition of messy pales in comparison to Dad's office, and you've lived there for almost two years as a elementary school kid." Ran deadpanned as she started to push her old friend down the street. "Now, start marching! Right, left, right, left~!"

Unable to protest, the coffee-haired teenager ended up guiding them back to 223 Clyro Villa. Once she took her shoes off, Ran explored around the small living space while Shinichi pulled out an electric tea kettle and some snacks to go with the brewing beverages.

"Hey, Shinichi?" Ran called out from the back of the apartment. "You've never been all that interested in jewelry, have you?" The Detective of the East stopped what she was doing, feeling all of the blood in her face leave in an instant.

"N-No. Why do you ask?"

Hearing a steady tempo of slipper-covered feet tap the floor, Shinichi turned around to see Ran come back into the kitchen with a box in her arms. In truth, the box was more like a chest made from dark wood with a domed lid. There was an intricate inlay of lighter wood on the top, with a detailed series of silver carvings that added to its bizarre beauty. A thin metal piping ran around the the edge, coming to end with a decorative clasp that held the box closed. However, there was no keyhole or latch to open it. This was the very same box that the Detective of the East had stumbled across in that secret passage within her family estate not too long ago.

Shinichi's face became bone-white. "Um, Ran, you might want to be careful with that." The karate champion looked at the mystery geek in confusion and then back at the curious item she discovered. "Why? Is it something valuable?"

"No, it's...it's complicated."

Ran gave her childhood friend a dark look and started to tap her finger against the box's dark wood. "Kudo Shinichi, you have exactly one minute to tell me what exactly has been going on since we last each other, and don't you _dare_ leave any details out."

Frightened at the threat Ran had just made, Shinichi inhaled a deep breath and told Ran the whole story. From her first day at Ekoda High to the Rainbow Maiden Heist before breaching the subject on how she found this box and the letter from KT. "I have an idea as to who this 'Night Baron' that the envelope addressed to is, but when I was doing research on Pandora, I got a message from KID. He wants to me to find his critic, the KID Killer, and I have no damn idea what to do!" Shinichi ran a hand through her hair, exhaustion and anxiety dancing her blue eyes. "How can I do that...when I'm trying so hard to forget about that part of me? The KID Killer? A snot-nosed brat who kept getting into trouble and was the real Sleeping Kogoro?"

A heavy silence fell upon Number 223 until Ran leaned forward and flicked Shinichi's nose. "Even after getting shrunk into a kid by a secret crime organization, you're as dumb as ever when it comes to daily life Shinichi. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you can't just forget about being Edogawa Agatha. It's part of who you are, and there's nothing wrong with that. So stop letting it govern what you can and can't do."

"But!"

"I'm not hearing it, Shinichi, so stop getting worked over something that's been said and done. I want to see the Kudo Shinichi who could tackle anything and everything life threw at her with a confident grin. Throw in a soccer ball if you have to! Just...live the life you want to. That's all I ask."

Shinichi then smiled bitterly. "Even when that... arrogance was part of the reason why I became Edogawa Agatha in the first place?" She looked at her friend with a worried expression. "KID has been fighting those men in black for almost two years. And if they found out that you know as much as I do about their motives, Pandora, the Box, they'll hurt you or your family. You've already been put through enough hell with the Black Organization, and I'll be damned if it happens again."

Ran frowned before she pinched Shinichi's arm, earning a small yelp from the sleuth. "And if I recall, your misconception of keeping everything a secret from others is what dragged out this problem with those men in black for almost two years. Furthermore, I'm capable of taking care of myself just as much as you can and Dad. Don't forget who got me into karate in the first place!" The brunette added with a smirk. "So for the love of every deity that's ever been worshipped in Japan, shut up and let me help you."

Shinichi stared at Ran long and hard, before she sighed heavily, glancing at the intricate box sitting on the breakfast bar. "Fine. There's no record of this chest in any online research I've done. Not in Japan or in America. Do you know anyone who might be able to figure out its origins and how exactly to get it open? Instead of a hole to put a key in it, as you may have seen, there's something else to unlock the box. What it could be, I don't know. Has your father had any recent clients who specialize in antiques or a similar field?"

The karate champion looked thoughtful, placing a hand under her chin. "No, not recently. Business has gotten quiet since Edogawa Agatha left the Mouri Detective Agency but not to the point where it's hard for Dad to find work. Sonoko's uncle might know a few people. He does try to outdo KID at heists where his collection is on display, after all. And before you get any bright ideas about contacting Jodie Starling or any other American federal officers to throw KID off your 'case' to find the KID Killer, at least consider the idea of telling him the truth. And to your other friends too. Kuroba-kun and Aoko-chan too"

"Ran!"

"Shinichi, I'm not always going to be here in Ekoda. And I… just don't want you to lose more friends because you hid things from them. Let others help you, Shinichi. Please." That was the last thing Ran mentioned on the grim topic before she changed it to something lighter over their refreshments.

Time slowly ticked by as they caught up with what was going in their respective lives before Ran realized it was getting late and she had to meet up Sonoko at the grand opening of a new hotel in the name of the Suzuki conglomerate. That was the reason why Ran and her father were in Ekoda for the day, aside from sight-seeing and the former's half-hearted attempt to arrange another blind date with her estranged parents. Once they shared their updated contact information, Shinichi walked Ran to the door with the promise to call her and meet up again before summer vacation ended.

The Detective of the East sighed softly as she locked up the apartment. Who would have thought that a quick trip to the market would end with easing the tension between herself and Ran, much less get the latter involved with Pandora? It was too late to back out or else Shinichi would face her friend's wrath. And the sight of a scorned friend who knew martial arts was something to _never_ take lightly.

Sharp azure orbs looked back at the box again. She blinked once, then twice before she pulled out her phone. Going through the sparse list of contacts, the Detective of the East found the person she was looking for. There was a slim chance they would answer given to the current time-zone. But if she was going to get any closer to solving this mystery, there were risks she had to take. Including this one.

Raising a thumb, Shinichi pressed the 'call' button and listened to the other line ringing.

* * *

 **It looks like our Detective of the East has not only been able to fix her friendship with Ran, but Beika's top karate champion is on board to help Shinichi on her current case! Will she take her friend's advice to heart and tell the truth to Kaito and Aoko, or even KID? Or will she still try to hide the actual whereabouts of the still-missing KID Killer? Only time shall tell at this point :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana, J0kersGirl,** and **Vivian Graythorn** for all their help. So without further do, the curtains have risen and the fifteenth act of _Paper Faces_ will begin momentarily! Please enjoy and thank you for your patience! :)

* * *

When Shinichi called to that certain person as soon as Ran had left, she didn't expect him to pick up right away. Though when she heard his voice on the other line, the dark-haired teen greeted him and answered any questions he had before giving a few of her own. Who was KT? What was his or her connection to Night Baron? Why was there a hidden room in the library of the Kudo compound?

Initially surprised at the sudden interrogation, Kudo Yuusaku eventually answered his daughter in a calm tone. Firstly, "KT" was the initials for Kuroba Toichi, an internationally known magician and a friend of the family, so to speak. Including being the late father of her friend Kuroba Kaito, he had also been the mentor of Kudo Yukiko, teaching her everything she knew about the art of disguise. Following the answer to her initial question, he lightly mentioned the friendly rivalry he had shared with Toichi-san when they were younger. Occasionally, they engaged themselves in various games to test their wits against each other. It was similar to the current friendship Shinichi had with Kaito, but at the same time different. What she had found in the library was a very special item that Toichi-san had given to Yuusaku for safekeeping.

Shinichi could not believe what she was hearing. The history that her family shared with Kuroba-kun's went that far back? The Detective of the East did not have any memory of meeting the messy-haired magician, much less his own parents. However, the more she thought about it, Shinichi did have a vague remembrance of a tall, gentle man who would amuse her by pulling items out of thin air. And as touching as all of this sounded, what could have prompted Toichi to entrust her father with an antique chest that had no keyhole or latch to open it? That did not add up, no matter how hard her little grey cells buzzed with plausible possibilities.

"But if that was the case, then why he would go to such lengths to hide this chest in a secret room of our house? Is it a valuable family heirloom for Kuroba-kun to inherit when he comes of age? Or was he such an eccentric person when it came to hiding items?" Shinichi asked with a raised brow.

Yuusaku hummed softly. "During one of his travels around the world, Toichi-san came across a valuable gem that required safekeeping beyond the usual security system of a vault in a bank. It wasn't so much as an heirloom to pass onto Kaito-kun, because Toichi-san did not want anyone else to find it. Not even his son until the time was right."

The coffee-haired teen frowned. "Is it really so precious that Toichi had no intention of giving it to Kuroba-kun but instead he gave it to you? That sounds a little fishy." The contemplative expression deepened ever so slightly as she heard her father clear his throat. It was a quirk he rarely indulged in unless what he was going to say next could not be repeated outside the walls of Number 223.

"Ah, well, it isn't exactly that simple. The gem that Toichi-san discovered was very special and one of a kind. For many years it had been the catalyst of many conflicts throughout history, and is still the treasure that some very dangerous people wish to have in their grasp."

Shinichi mulled over the answer, though it only raised more questions that the sleuth wished to ask.

"That still doesn't explain why he would give away this precious cargo, or even obtain it in the first place. You've told me that this 'family friend' was a magician, not a gem collector. I do not see what usage it would be to a magician when the encore of an audience is what they strive for. Especially if it's been sought after by some dangerous people." At least, that was the conclusion Shinichi had come to after spending time with Kaito and seeing his magic first-hand.

Yuusaku sighed on the other end. Toichi-san had left him a fine mess to clean up and explain. What he thought was going to be a friendly conversation with his daughter had become a delicate situation that had to be handled with the utmost caution. It was obvious to the novelist that Shinichi remained oblivious about Toichi-san's night life, therefore she did not understand what was the connection between the chest and a deceased magician. After all, how was he supposed to explain that his "friend" had been the original Magician under the Moonlight, and their "games" had been countless heists Toichi-san had pulled off? However, considering the intelligence that resided within his daughter, it was only a matter of time before she put the pieces together. Inhaling a deep breath, he continued.

"Including being one of its kind in existence, this particular gem was also rumored to have special properties that an association of people desired to almost an fanatical level. Toichi-san was already being targeted by this group when they realized he was after the sam gem as them, and he knew it. When he finally got it, he also received the risk of endangering his family. To keep Kaito-kun and Chikage-san safe, Toichi-san needed to hide the gem as soon as possible. He then sent it to me temporarily until he could hide it from those people for good. Unfortunately, after a few weeks I had come to possess this item, there was a large and fatal accident at one of his shows. The entire place had burst into flames in the midst of this performance, and much of the audience suffered mild to severe injuries. Thankfully there were no casualties, except for one Kuroba Toichi. This all I could tell you, because it's all he would tell me before he died."

Silence fell upon the two of them as Shinichi's mind processed what she heard. It was a surprise that Kuroba-kun's father died, but in an accident that also resulted in harming civilians as well because of these 'dangerous people'? Yet one thing was certain: her father is hiding something from her, and he will not say anymore than what he has already told her. All of a sudden, the coffee-haired sleuth recalled the conversation she had with Haibara not too long ago.

A rare gem with special properties and catastrophic history.

A dangerous group of people seeking it.

Shinichi knew one candidate that fits the proverbial bill. But that was impossible! There was no way that Toichi found it, was it? A well-known magician and this stone...they seemed totally unrelated, yet somehow it made sense. Taking a chance on her intuition, the normally confident detective hesitantly broke the silence.

"...Does it have to do with a woman who got too curious for her own good and released evil into the world?"

The speculations of the Night Baron were confirmed. His daughter was hopelessly inquisitive and had gotten herself in yet another mess. How she did it after taking out the largest criminal syndicate to date was beyond his comprehension. Regardless, it seemed she had done her homework and hit the nail on the head all at the same time. She had probably deduced the true contents of the chest via gleaning information from Toichi-san's cryptic letter. The magician enjoyed riddles as much as the next person. It had even taken Yuusaku a lot longer than usual to decipher its contents. The novelist then released the breath he had been holding before speaking again.

"I'm assuming you read the letter, then? And you've seen what's inside of the chest?"

Shinichi laughed sheepishly over the phone. "Well, I found the item but I didn't actually open the letter. I...ran into a little trouble some time ago, and just followed up on it. Haibara confirmed a few things I was curious about. The conclusion about the gem was a wild, but intelligent, guess. When I saw 'Night Baron' on the letter, I figured it was something related to you. I had no clue any of this was linked to my idiotic classmate, much less his father. And if there was something for Kuroba-kun inside of that chest, that isn't any of my business. That's between a father and his son, not a nosy detective. Plus, how am I supposed to open something that doesn't even appear to have a lid?"

Yuusaku guffawed on the other line. "You're serious?"

"I wouldn't be saying it if it wasn't true, would I? Especially about something like this." Shinichi looked at the chest with slightly narrowed eyes. "Ran is aware about what's going on as well. And before you start lecturing me, I was threatened with a fist of destruction unless I told her the truth this time. She came into town today, and decided to patch things up with me over some tea at the apartment. That's how she found the chest lying around in my room. Now, she is on board to help, and won't take a 'no' for an answer this time.. Ran has even...Dad, she wants me to tell my friends everything. The Black Organization. Edogawa Agatha. But...what am I supposed to do?" Shinichi sighed heavily. "I know now it's a part of me that will never go away, though the information she wants to divulge in is still sensitive information that isn't ready to be released into the public just yet."

A heavy silence fell upon the two members of the Kudo family before Yuusaku decided to speak, bestowing his confused daughter with wisdom he had gained as a novelist, sleuth, and above all else, a father.

"Shinichi, that is a hard decision to make, like everything else we must face in life. I trust your judgement, and will support whatever that will be. Your mother will behind you as well. You're not alone, Shinichi. Never forget that."

"But Dad-"

The Detective of the East started to say but she was cut off by her father's soft, but firm tone.

"Kudo Shinichi, I have seen you grow up from a tiny toddler who had an expertise in getting herself into trouble into a confident young lady who gets herself into even worse situations. However, now you don't need me to be at your side the entire time. My little girl managed to take down an entire crime syndicate while being stuck in a six year old body. If that isn't enough proof for a father that his daughter has grown up into someone capable of handling herself, then I don't know what is.

"Look, kiddo. I understand why Ran wants you to tell your friends everything. And I understand why you don't want to revisit that part of your past. However, at the end of the day, it _is_ a part of you. Agatha is part of who you are, and you cannot deny or change the fact. Ran's point is that your friends have a right to know. And I can tell you that they won't think any less of you if they find out. They may be surprised, even shocked, but they will accept you for who you are. As for the sensitive details, both of us know that you are intelligent enough to know what to reveal and what not. They will understand that some parts are confidential, but don't use that excuse to hide other information. They trust you; don't break that trust, Shinichi."

Shinichi was stunned into silence. She could barely formulate words, let alone a coherent response. Her father was the silent type, and rarely spoke up in so many words. She knew he was proud of her, but it moved her to hear him express it. Shinichi could imagine his soft smile on the other end, from the way he let out a long breath. Her voice was shaking as she spoke and small smile of her own began to stretch across her face.

"Thank you, Dad."

Shinichi could almost see her father's smile, even when there were thousands of miles between them. Another twenty minutes passed before the line between them and disconnected. As much as she wanted to continue the investigation with this newly acquired information, the Detective of East decided to call it a day with instant beef-flavored ramen and _The Hound of Baskervilles_ before heading to bed.

xPFx

Kaito was worried.

Summer vacation was over and the second semester of school started today. So why did Shin-chan looked like she was going to keel over from exhaustion? Granted, he felt guilty for not hanging out with her that much for the rest of the summer, but he _did_ have a lot of research that needed get done for a few heists he was planning on holding for the next three months. Furthermore, he was still cautious about interacting with the Detective of the East since the Organization has begun to move. Over the last few weeks, there had been at least three thefts of Big Gems at different locations in equally guarded museums; two in Japan, and one in Paris. While the items in question had been returned a day or so later, it was still enough to raise alarm with the authorities.

The dark-haired teen had a feeling that Snake was behind these random sprees, or at least had some involvement in them. The M.O. that was used to bypass security was similar to the ones from his prior crimes, even going back as far as the beginning of his career. Why? Probably to throw the police off guard that the culprit was someone who was still a greenhorn in the criminal underworld rather than a thief who's evaded the law for almost two decades.

"Kaito?" The prankster almost jolted out of his reverie when Aoko suddenly appeared before him, a worried look on her face when she stole a glance at their mutual friend. "Is everything alright with Shinichi-chan? She looks so tired, perhaps even worse than when I saw her prior to our midterm exams. Has she not been eating or getting enough sleep again?"

He blinked at his childhood friend and looked at Shinichi once more before he smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry Ahouko. I'll find out what's going on with our dearest Shin-chan. Speaking of which, I wonder if she's wearing something else aside from black shorts underneath her skirt~?"

That remark prompted Aoko to grab the nearest broom and start swinging it around in a blind fit of moral outrage. Soon after it began, the forty-something homeroom teacher came into the classroom with the broom nearly missing a blow to the head. However Furukawa-sensei continued to make her way to the desk, completely used to the pandemonium.

Once she dropped a very heavy book on the desk to get the students' attention, especially the ones that were sleeping - the first class of the day commenced with roll call. Through the homeroom period, Kaito kept an eye on the coffee-haired detective. He knew that the girl had taken at least her usual dose of morning caffeine, but she seemed even worse than one of the days she did not consume the devil's drink known as coffee.

The morning slowly ticked by, and yet he grew more worried at her behaviour when the afternoon classes started after lunch. He could make out the dark circles beneath her usually bright indigo eyes, which seemed dull and listless. The dark-haired prankster hoped that she would eventually "wake up", or at least become more energetic before the day ended. Though at this rate, it seemed like his prayers were not going to be answered.

Unfortunately, the pattern seemed to repeat itself again on the following day, and then the day after. When Thursday came around, Kaito had enough of being the observer; he needed to know what was bothering the teen, and just watching her at every moment was not going to help solve anything. Finally having had enough when he noticed that Shinichi was absolutely distracted in English class for the third time this week, he made up his mind to confront the girl. His feelings had gone well beyond concern and he was now seriously worried about her.

He asked Shinichi to come with him onto the rooftop for some privacy, under the excuse that it had concerned about his idol. Kaito's blue-purple eyes widened slightly as he watched the girl's face become a shade of bone-white.

"Shin-chan? What's wrong?" The magician then grabbed Shinichi by the shoulders. "Did...did getting a letter from KID really bother you that much?" When the sleuth stiffened even further in his arms and did not reply immediately, Kaito's anxiety increased tenfold. He was oblivious to the internal war being waged within Shinichi. Ran's words were echoing in her mind, coupled with recent events had left her shaken to the core.

 _"Let others help you."_

 _"They trust you; don't break that trust, Shinichi."_

Should she tell Kaito the truth, or keep him and everyone else in the dark so that they would be safe? Yet...was it worth repeating history again, and losing another friend in the process? How long would the war with _this_ Organization last? A year? Two years? Even a decade? The Detective of the East inhaled a deep breath, and relying on her sharp mind before she came up with a final solution. When she did...it was one that she had a feeling she would regret.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft, almost inaudible male voice. "Shinichi?"

Azure orbs looked up at darker ones before the coffee-haired teen pulled away. "Kaito...there's no need for KID to look for Edogawa Agatha any longer. Because….I know where she is." She then placed a hand over her beating heart.

"Edogawa Agatha. She is...me."

* * *

 **Well, it looks our sleuth has decided to take a leap of faith and tell Kaito the truth! How will the budding relationship between Shinichi and the magician continue from here? Will it blossom or wither? Only time shall tell! :)**

 **In December, there was a poll on my profile pertaining to the next writing project I would do with Detective Conan and the votes have been tallied. And t** **he winner was...Miraculous Ladybug!** **On another note, the first chapter has just been published under the title** _An Owl in Paris_ **. Please stop by and take a look at it! Feedback is greatly appreciated!**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana, J0kersGirl,** and **Vivian Graythorn** for all their help. Furthermore, I thank the faithful audience for their patience as to how the end of the fifteenth act shall carry out to this segment of _Paper Faces_. Please enjoy the show! :)

* * *

Today was Tuesday. It marked the fifth day since Kaito had started to discreetly avoid his coffee-haired classmate. He had worked up neither the will nor courage to talk to do so, especially after he he walked away from Shinichi after her mind-blowing confession on the school rooftop. Deep down, he had a feeling what she told him was only half of the truth, or at the very least an abbreviated version as to why and how the Detective of the East became the six-year-old KID Killer. However, his mind had barely registered any of it after her initial words.

"Edogawa Agatha. She is...me."

That was all he knew and yet he could not comprehend it. The dark-haired magician tried to brush off what she said with a small laugh, commenting on how it was a pretty bad joke for even a detective like herself to come up with. However, when his dark blue eyes met Shinichi's, Kaito felt like a rock had been dropped into the pits of his stomach. The Detective of the East was not joking. Silence soon fell upon them for what seemed like an eternity, before Shinichi pulled out two items he had not seen since the Apollo's Chariot heist.

The first was a worn-out watch with an indigo face and a pair of silver hands. She flipped the glass lid upward, and raised it up to her eyes, positioning herself in a very familiar stance that made Kaito's blood run cold. What initially appeared to him as an accessory that Shinichi wore every day without fail suddenly became a weapon that the KID Killer was infamous for carrying at KID's heists: the Stun-Gun Wristwatch. Kaito himself had seen it more times than he cared to admit, and he could immediately tell it was the real one instead of a knockoff.

Lowering the watch, Kaito watched as Shinichi carefully placed the lid back in its original position before she placed a hand in her skirt pocket. She pulled it out moments later, her clenched fist momentarily unveiling a brooch shaped like a deerstalker hat. Kaito also knew this device, and how Edogawa Agatha could manipulate her voice with just a few dials and a small microphone on the back of it. Kaito could not remember just how many times that had saved them in several precarious situations, especially when an unexplained murder crossed paths with the prize that the Phantom Thief wanted to steal.

At this point, his mind had tuned everything out as he struggled to make sense of the situation. The miniature critic he had been searching for all of this time and his best friend...they were one and the same? Ekoda's local prankster didn't know what to think or even say.

Shinichi remained silent before releasing a heavy sigh, running a hand through her messy coffee-colored bangs. "In all honesty, I didn't want to say anything about Edogawa Agatha or even that she's me. But...you deserved to know the truth. I've already lost friends because I couldn't bring myself to let them in. I'm not about to make the same mistake with you, Aoko-chan, or Hakuba-san again. I don't know how you'll explain it to KID...but I'm sure you'll figure out. You always know what to do. Even when a girl was so afraid to go on a rollercoaster because she thought someone would die. But that didn't happen, did it?" She smiled bitterly. "How I became an elementary student for two years and returned to my old self...let's just say the ravens I'd been chasing as Agatha were pursuing something that mankind have desired for centuries: eternal life."

By now, Kaito was experiencing both an information and emotional overload. He had just nodded blankly at her, not really understanding what she just said, before he walked away from the sleuth without another word. The nonplused magician needed to be alone for a while to process everything that had just happened, and he knew that he couldn't think straight with Shinichi around him.

For the rest of the week he used studying as a primary excuse to avoid Shin-chan, on top doing some "errands" he had to run, or be suddenly being asked to help out Jii-san at the Blue Parrot. Following that were a line of jobs he suddenly found himself caught up in, even something in his house that needed fixing immediately. The string of excuses were endless and inconsistent, but they led to the same objective: Kaito was doing everything in his power to avoid facing Tantei-chan. Or was it Meintantei-chan? Or Kudo Shinichi? For once, he did not know what was happening on the world's stage.

This epiphany terrified the hell out of him.

After cleaning duties at school were finished, Kaito immediately went home. However, when he entered the Kuroba household and took off his shoes, the dark-haired teen was caught off guard by a feminine voice in the kitchen.

"Welcome home, Kaito!"

The sudden exclamation made him jump, and he silently cursed in his mind. This debacle with Shinichi was seriously distracting Kaito, especially if he almost jumped at the sound of his mother's voice. Granted, his mother actually being present was shocking enough. But as the Phantom Thief KID, he prided himself on always being alert and on guard.

He walked into the kitchen and saw a purple-haired woman in an apron, smiling brightly at him. "Long time no see! How's class been going? You have been keeping up with your grades since I was here last, haven't you?" Kaito felt a small shudder at the subtle threat in her voice. Even when with the tendency to be flighty and spend Dad's savings on worldly travels, she still wanted to make sure he had a solid future after graduating high school. And the second semester just started for crying out loud!

"I've been doing fine Mom, nothing's changed since last summer."

Chikage raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then how do you explain this little trinket I found lying around your room while I was cleaning the house today?" Azure eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as the former Phantom Lady suddenly pulled a jewel-encrusted pin in her hand. "An impulsive urge to purchase a memoir from the Rainbow Maiden heist KID pulled off? Or is it for a lucky lady that you haven't told me about~?"

Kaito swore silently in his mind, though kept the Poker Face intact as he calmly answered his mother. "It's a long story Mom, and I've got a lot of homework to do."

"And I have all of the time in the world. And a few minutes catching up with your dear mother over some tea won't put you behind in your studies. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the living room. I'll get the tea and cookies ready, okay?" Chikage smiled again, though this time it held an underlying threat towards her son. If there was one thing Kaito he had learned over the years since his father died, "never" deny the Phantom Lady even the simplest request unless there was a very good reason and enough evidence to back it up. Sighing heavily, Kaito muttered that he would be right down after he put his stuff away.

Chikage watched her son go up the stairs, her beaming expression suddenly becoming solemn with melalcholy dancing in her light brown eyes. In truth, she had returned to Japan to check on both Kaito and KID when news about the international robberies had reached her hotel room in Las Vegas. However, when Toichi's former student contacted her at the baggage claim, Chikage was stunned. She had not heard from Yukiko since they had accidentally met up in America almost three months ago. When the former actress informed Chikage about her own daughter over the phone and what had happened in her own corner of Ekoda less than a week ago, the short-haired woman instantly knew something occurred between Kaito and one Kudo Shinichi.

It was a mystery that Chikage was determined to unravel. If not for the sake of her friend, but then to bring back the smiling, mischievous son she was proud of.

xPFx

It was hard for Shinichi to focus on her homework again tonight. The material itself was simple, but every time she moved her pencil across the lined paper, all she could see was Kaito and the stunned expression on his face. Followed by sadness, and anger. Even though it wasn't too obvious to see these emotions as it was to see a killer being cornered when the elaborate tricks behind their crime, but it was those emotions were there, dancing in widened indigo eyes. The Detective of the East feared such a look would always be there whenever Kuroba-kun looked at her.

Why else would he be avoiding her? What other explanation was needed behind the string of excuses he had made when she tried to talk to him at school? It was because she told him the truth, and this was the price for doing such. Shinichi was well and truly tired of it. If she lied, there were consequences. If she didn't, there were consequences. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. She felt a wave of resentment within her, directed towards the BO, the Apoptoxin and Edogawa Agatha - in that order. If she had not followed Vodka to the site of those those shady dealings that day in Tropical Land, none of this would have happened.

Unfortunately, if she had not experienced being shrunk to a kid again and taking on the Black Organization, she would have remained arrogant and still enjoyed the attention she got from all the cases she solved with Inspector Megure and the police department. Furthermore, she would have never realized the leader of the most dangerous criminal syndicate in both Japan and America had been that person, and they would still continue to hurt people in order to achieve a modernized method to gain eternal life.

It was a true situation of damned if she didn't tell the truth, and damned if she did. Right now, these turbulent feelings that washed over her body clouded any judgement on solving the Physics equations in front of her. Releasing a low growl of frustration, Shinichi uncharacteristically slammed the textbook shut and turned off the overhead lamp on her desk, no longer in the proper mind frame to finish her homework.

Deciding that she really, _really_ needed a break, Shinichi looked around for her cellphone. Finally locating the device on top of her dresser, she picked it up and scrolled through the contacts before selecting a very familiar one. The line began to ring- once, twice, three times. On the third ring, someone finally picked up on the other end. A sweet, light voice spoke into the receiver.

"Hello, Mouri Residence. Mouri Ran speaking. How may I help you?"

"Ran? I-It's me. Shinichi. This isn't a bad time to call, is it?" The Detective of the East could pick up J-Pop music in the background that was followed by an exuberant, drunken cry.

 _ **"Yoko-chan!"**_

The dark-haired teen felt her eyebrow twitch.

"He's still watching that all-day marathon on Okino Yoko's movies, isn't he? I forgot today was Tuesday," Shinichi muttered, recalling how hard it had been to ignore Kogoro's cat-calling when Edogawa Agatha was trying to do her elementary homework every Thursday for the last two years, though most likely Kogoro has changed the day of his marathon days since she left his detective agency. This also included purposely writing some incorrect answers so that it would look like that she was smart, but not too bright for Kobayashi-sensei or anyone else to notice.

Shinichi could almost sense Ran rolling her eyes at her father's antics. "You still remember that, huh? Then again it'd be hard not to." The karate champion chuckled a little. "And no, it isn't a bad time to talk. I was actually going to call you."

"Y-You were?"

"Yeah. It's what about what we discussed when I visited Ekoda. Hold on a sec. I know I left here on Dad's desk somewhere. Dad, don't pile up the beer cans in a pyramid, that'll make an even bigger mess to clean up!" Shinichi heard some shuffling in the background. "Sorry. You know how he gets. Ah, here it is. I got a hold of Sonoko a few days ago, and asked her if she knew anyone who might take a look at the chest. I told her that you found it in the storage unit at your apartment and you don't know if it's junk or might be worth something. You didn't have a lot of time to find anyone to look at it because you're still adjusting to Ekoda and going back to school. She wasn't too happy when I asked, but she did it out of the generosity of the Deduction Queen."

Shinichi rolled her eyes before she pulled out a little notepad and a ballpoint pen from the drawer. "She was able to find someone to look at the chest?"

"Yeah, an antique dealer named Ishikawa Mamoru, age thirty-one. According to her uncle, this man is very particular about two things: client confidentiality and what the item is that the client wants him to examine. However, if the item doesn't interest him, then he won't appraise it no matter how much money is offered to do so. But when Sonoko mentioned the chest to her uncle and he informed Ishikawa-san that the chest neither has a latch or keyhole, the man immediately offered to schedule an appraisal appointment three weeks from now at his office in Tokyo. That's the earliest he could see you. Think that'll be enough time for you to a background check on him?"

Blue eyes widened slightly before a small, tired smile stretched across Shinichi's lips. "You know me too well, Ran. And yes, that will definitely be enough time...in light of recent events."

" 'Recent events', Shinichi? You're working on another case?"

"No. Ran...He knows. Kaito knows who I really am. And...he didn't take the news well. He's been avoiding and barely making any eye contact with me in school for almost a week."

A heavy silence fell upon the two girls before Shinichi heard Ran sigh on the other line. "It sounds like you had decided to take my advice and told him the truth."

"That's the problem, Ran! This is all my fault. I'm damned if I tell the truth or not! First, I almost lost you because I decided to hide things. Now, when I decided to stop keeping secrets from anyone, I still lost Kuroba-kun. Now...I don't know what to do now. I-I just don't know!" The Detective of the East took a deep, shaky breath, before she continued to speak to her friend in a much more morose tone of voice. "I just wish everything could go back to how it was, when I was still walking with him and Aoko-chan to class without a care in the world and nothing to hide." The dark-haired teen swore under her breath as she felt tears begin to prick the corners of her eyes.

"Shinichi, you can't go back in time and change what has happened. You told him you were Edogawa Agatha, and that is that," Ran interrupted in a firm, almost motherly tone of voice. "And I'm proud that you told him the truth. In a way, I can understand why he's acting like this now. After all, who could say that they shrunk down to a kid who had helped the CIA and FBI take down one of the largest criminal syndicates in history? No one, except you. And being the deduction freak I've known for a long time, you probably showed Kaito-kun evidence that you are the KID Killer, right?"

"Yes, but -"

"And if Kaito-kun is the type of guy who wanted you to give him a chance on the rollercoaster where a murder had occurred, a case that you solved, then shouldn't you give him the benefit of the doubt? For all you know, he might just be coming to terms with everything. Look at us, Shinichi! It took us months to get back to where we were. At least give the guy a week!"

Shinichi took a deep breath, slowly absorbing Ran's words. "Alright, Ran. I believe you. And I sincerely hope you're right about this."

Shinichi could feel the other girl smile, and it was evident when she spoke. "Don't you worry, Mystery Freak. I'm willing to bet that before this week is over, both of you will be normal again. And then, you can go back to walking to class with your boyfriend."

"H-He's not my boyfriend, Ran!" Shinichi stuttered.

"Now who's in denial~? Anyway, I'd better go. Dad has a client coming in tomorrow morning so I've got to make sure he's at least halfway recovered from his hangover. Take care of yourself, okay? I'm here, and I'm not letting you disappear on me again. Got it?"

Shinichi smiled despite feeling a thin river of water falling down her face, using one hand to wipe them away.

"I got it. See you, Ran."

Once the line disconnected, Shinichi placed the cellphone back on her desk and began her nightly ritual before going to bed. However, unbeknownst to the coffee-haired teen, the probability of making amends with Kuroba-kun would increase tenfold faster before she even realized it.

xPFx

The next day during study hall, Shinichi was asked by one of her classmates to speak to her privately. Confused, she nodded and followed him out to an empty hallway near the cafeteria. "What is it that you wanted to talk about, Ono-san?"

She recognized him from her Japanese Literature class. Ono Hideki, eighteen years old with shaggy black hair and eyes. He excelled in Social Studies and Mathematics, and was the captain of the kendo team. According to an article in the school newspaper, Ono-san was even a candidate in _The Top Ten Guys In School that Girls Would Like To Date_ section that was posted at the beginning of every semester.

Now here he was, looking more like a nervous wreck than the calm and collected classmate whom Aoko-chan or her friend Keiko would occasionally gush over during their lunch period. Did he want her to investigate a case without anyone knowing about it, so it would not threaten his chances of entering Tokyo University on the school's kendo scholarship? Or...was something else entirely going on here? Azure orbs narrowed in contemplation ever so slightly as Shinichi watched Ono-san pull out something from his pocket, holding it out to her with a bright red face.

The item in question was...an envelope with a kitten-shaped sticker on it, holding a red heart in its mouth. An utterly befuddled expression stretched across Shinichi's face as she blinked at him.

"Um, Ono-san? What is this?"

Ono-san swallowed thickly, his fingers having slight tremors as he still held the envelope in the air. "K-Kudo-san will you do me the honor of going out with me a-as your b-boyfriend?" The gears in Shinichi's mind halted very suddenly at those words.

 _Huh?!_

Shinichi tried to regain her composure with a small cough, ignoring the light pink hue dusting across her cheeks. "Thank you Ono-san, I'm flattered but… I'm sorry. I cannot accept your feelings. I don't look at you the same way, and it wouldn't be fair to either of us. You're a great person, however, and I'm sure there is someone else who would be much happier to be your girlfriend."

Heartbreak and astonishment were strongly evidence in Ono-san's widened gaze before they softened ever so slightly in understanding, followed by a bitter chuckle. "Well, at least I've tried. You're pretty, smart, and you take the time to help students who are struggling with their studies. It's hard to believe that no one else has captured your heart, much less be your boyfriend. Unless...someone already has, like Kaito-kun? I've heard the rumors that you like him, but I wanted to least take a chance and tell you how I feel. You do like him, don't you, Kudo-san?"

Shinichi could only look at him with wide eyes, struggling to keep her jaw in place. Certainly, she had heard of the rumours about her and Kuroba-kun floating around the school, but it was the first time that she realised just how widespread the rumours were. Now, Ono-san's words had opened her mind to a very surprising possibility.

Did she like Kuroba-kun as more than an annoying friend who tried to cheer her up when she was at both her worst and best? Was he someone she was more afraid of losing than her parents, Haibara, Professor Agasa, and Ran? Each of these people were important pieces in the life of Kudo Shinichi.

Though despite being surrounded by such precious individuals as Sherlock Holmes had been with Dr. Watson and Mrs. Hudson, he loved Irene Adler above everyone else. In Shinchi's case, however, it was Kuroba Kaito. The only man to ever catch her eye, and hold her attention with intellectual and witty conversation with an occasional prank or even a magic show. Certainly, she had met and befriended other men who shared the same interests in her, such as Hakuba-san and Hattori-kun, but Kaito-kun was the only one whom she considered a true challenge, in every sense of the word.

She met Ono-san's gaze again, this time with conviction and devotion. With two words, she confirmed his suspicions.

"I do."

xPFx

From behind an adjacent wall, a pair of indigo-colored orbs widened impossibly to the size of dinner plates. Shin-chan rejected a confession from one of the most popular guys in their class...because her heart already belongs to someone else? Someone...like him? Kuroba Kaito?! And to think, for a moment he was...he was j _ealous_!

The prankster clamped a hand over his mouth as a white-hot warmth spread across his face like wildfire. This revelation seemed surreal. Almost too surreal. Even after he ignored her...Shin-chan still cared about him?

At that very moment, the aspiring magician recalled the conversation he had with his mother yesterday. It had been difficult enough to comprehend that the KID Killer and Kudo Shinichi were one and the same, yet what his eccentric parent said had next shook him to the core.

"Kaito, by now, you know the truth about your father's accident and what exactly his 'nightlife' was like. However, there was something he didn't mention in those vinyl records he left behind in the secret room. Don't look so surprised, I helped him construct that room, at least with the blueprints! Anyway, your father had an understudy who was interested in acting and the art of disguise. Her name was Fujimine Yukiko. But now after retiring to get married to a writer, she goes by the name of Kudo Yukiko. She's...Kaito, she is Shinichi's mother." Chikage inhaled another deep breath before she continued. "After your father died, she's made sure to keep in contact with me. In turn, she has told me what has happened in her little corner of the world. This included witnessing her daughter take down a criminal syndicate run by men wearing all black as a six-year-old child because of a poison they developed. A poison that was inspired by a certain gem that granted immortality."

He did not know when his mother had stood up and exited the room but it was some time after she had finished speaking. All he knew was his blood had dropped to sub-zero temperatures, followed by the horror at hearing such a revelation. For the second time in so many days, Kaito felt his world execute a perfect somersault.

It's just...it wasn't possible! He knew Shin-chan was capable of looking after herself and others, but she willingly entered an ongoing war with a criminal syndicate? One that the CIA and FBI have been fighting for over fifty years? And in the body a six-year-old child?! It could not be true, and yet somehow it made sense.

And Kaito knew his mother would never lie, especially about an organization whose size and capacity for untold cruelty rivaled the one that killed his father. If this Black Organization had developed a poison that could physically de-age a human being, and it was supposedly inspired by the myth of Pandora, then the theory was not as far-fetched as it sounded. What washed over his mind next was a wave of self-loathing.

If he had found that damned jewel sooner, he might have been able to prevent such a tragedy from happening. Perhaps not, because the poison would have been already developed after over half of a century in research and development, including the rare side effect that Shin-chan underwent. Still, he might have been able to discover the link between the two groups and help out his beloved critic, even disregarding his own agenda to ensure her safety and the destruction of the Black Organization.

Apart from the shock and disbelief, guilt and anger rose within him. The day's revelations had confused him even further and he was truly at his wits' end. All of his thoughts led down the same road, and stopped at the same point. Kudo Shinichi. A stubborn, frustrating, coffee-haired spitfire of a sleuth.

Suddenly shaking himself out of his reverie as an idea struck him like a lightening bolt, Kaito stood tall and walked back to class with a blank expression yet calculating eyes. It was high time that he talked things over with Shin-chan. Avoiding her or the situation was not going to help either of them, and at this point Kaito was extremely close to being driven out of his mind in frustration.

As soon as he left school, the first thing Kaito was going to do was enter the secret passage in the Kuroba household. It was time for Ekoda High's prankster to take a backseat on the world's stage. Kaitou KID had a heist to plan for his faithful and impatient audience. Furthermore, it was time for his dear little critic knew a few things about him as well.

* * *

 **More revelations have been revealed, and it appears that the magician is ready to unveil a few secrets to the sleuth who had been pursuing him since the Black Star heist! :) But what could possibly happen at this** **particular show? Romance? Another, more direct warning from the Organization to KID to stop going after Big Gems? Stay tuned for the seventeenth act of** _Paper Faces_ **to find out!**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, I would like to thank **OnyxKatana** and **J0kersGirl** for their help. But above all else, I profusely thank the audience for being so patient with the typing of this chapter since it appears that the cliffhanger from the previous act had left everyone on edge :) And so without any further delay, let the curtains rise from the stage and allow the seventeenth act of _Paper Faces_ to begin!

* * *

After Kaitou KID had made his grand return to the public two years ago, the Ekoda Art Museum had become one of the many places where a "performance" would take place before his eager audience and dearly beloved police force. While he had already sent a pearl-studded scroll to Inspector Nakamori that he would steal the world's largest alexandrite, Persephone's Pomegranate, at eleven o'clock tonight, the Phantom Thief's true aim was found in the western section of the facility. The owner of this particular gem, sixty-five year old Kusanagi Seimei, had a tendency to show off his rare books alongside with the jewels he had collected for years.

This evening, Seimei would be allowing his most prized possession in print to be on display for the public: a red-jacketed, 1902 first edition of Sir Conan Doyle's classic novel, _The Hound of The Baskervilles_. Rare books were fine and all, but under normal circumstances, it was the worst gift to bestow upon a beautiful young lady, especially when she was a high school teenager! Why give her a novel when there was a jewel with a history of romance and prosperity? But Shin-chan had never cared for jewelry, and once before had said to Kuroba Kaito that 'normal' was a subjective term, all the while re-reading _The Sign of Four_ during their study hall period.

That was why, in his mind, KID was relieved that the gallery would be held here. This venue was not where he first met his beloved critic. It had, instead become their proverbial Reichenbach Falls last summer, at the Apollo's Chariot heist to be precise. Now aware of the truth, KID had no desire to let it remain as such a reminder.

Because tonight, he would set everything right between them, once and for all. The realization of Shinichi's feelings for Kuroba Kaito did cause a few altercations in his plans, but he quickly remedied all of the possible loopholes, down to the very tiniest detail. Now, at last, he could put everything into motion without the interference from either the police force, Snake, or the Organization.

He had sent a separate note to the Detective of the East through the post office a few days after the public announcement of his heist, with a riddle that would lead the coffee-haired teen to the rare book collection exhibit. Being an adamant admirer of Sherlock Holmes, KID was certain she would chase after him to retrieve _The Hound of The Baskervilles_ to the rooftop. From there, it would provide the Phantom Thief a window of fifteen to twenty minutes before Inspector Nakamori and his task force would realize that they were duped once again by KID.

KID would tell Shinichi everything; his civilian identity, his predecessor, the gem he was seeking, and confess his affection for her. He hoped that by stealing this book, she would realize how much he cared for her and reciprocate his feelings.

He wanted to spend eternity with Shin-chan, the Phantom Thief and his priceless gem. Two sides of the same coin, bound together until the end of time. However, Kaitou KID would eventually have to disappear from the world's stage just as the Detective of East would have to hang up her deerstalker hat. However, when their game of cat-and-mouse came to an end, he hoped Kudo Shinichi would still be by his side.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the thoughts from his mind. A quick glance at his watch told him that he had ten minutes to make sure that everything was set up the way he wanted it, and another five minutes before his elaborate plan would go into action. Adjusting his disguise, he rechecked his multiple hidden pockets to make sure that he had everything he could need. Card gun, smoke bombs, silk scarves, and all the other tools that he required for this heist. Finally satisfied with everything, he made his way to the first floor balcony, where he had placed the switch to trigger the first phase of his complicated setup. Just as he was counting down the final minute before his plan would go into action, he heard the familiar screech of police sirens.

Looking out of the window, he saw six police cars stop in front of the building. Kaito almost swore out loud. Why did Inspector Nakamori have to call so many men? It wasn't like they could stop Kaitou KID anyway, but the increased numbers meant a risk of delay in his plans. He couldn't afford any delays. Everything had to be just perfect in his plan for Shinichi!

Just when he was about to initiate his back-up plan, he noticed a small group of people making their way over to the hotel on the opposite side of the street. There were at least three officers, one broad man wearing a beige fedora, and a woman with short dark brown hair. The man looked horribly familiar to him, and caused a feeling of dread to settle in KID's stomach.

While the man in question was leading this small group, walking behind him was none other than Shinichi, wearing a grim frown as she followed them in through the glass doors and across the foyer. Pulling out a pair of binoculars, the Phantom Thief continued to watch them as then he witnessed them as they walked towards the elevators. Twisting the thumbscrew on the binoculars, KID witnessed the man press a button to the third floor. As soon as he saw that, the criminal quickly shifted his sight to their destination, where he continued observing them before they disappeared from his line of sight.

The messy-haired teen felt his heart lodge in his throat as indigo orbs widened ever so slightly upon remembering where he had seen the portly man before. It was Inspector Megure, from Division One. Homicide. _Someone had been killed and it was at a KID heist._

Technically speaking, it was before the heist even started, but it gave the Phantom Thief more than enough reason to worry. No one knew better than him how dangerous one of his heists could get if violence had slipped onto his stage without knowing it.

Kuroba Kaito's blood was thrumming as anxiety began set in. What if Snake or one of his operatives had decided to attack someone to draw him out? What if they hurt Shinichi? A determined expression then stretched on his mouth, nearly shattering his Poker Face. To hell with the heist. It could stand for a little delay. He had to make sure Shinichi was alright. He would be damned if he let Snake lay a finger on his critic.

Making a split-second decision, the Phantom Thief moved out to the side and quickly exited using the fire escape, but not before he reluctantly removed his costume and donned a set of jet-black street clothes with a matching cap to hide his unruly hair. Running down, he crossed the road and blended into the crowd of KID supporters. Gritting his teeth, KID looked around and saw a law enforcement agent standing near the hotel's entrance. He seemed to be alert for a moment while the group bolted through the lobby, but as soon as they were out of sight, he pulled out his phone and rapidly started to tap it with both of his thumbs.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Kaito slipped into the hotel and quickly walked over to the elevators, going to the third floor. Once the elevator doors opened, Kaito didn't need any further clues. The hubbub and the yellow tape at the end of the hall were more than obvious signs. It was a confirmation of KID's worst fears: someone had been murdered, and Kudo Shinichi was now tangled in the midst of another murder mystery once again.

xPFx

When Shinichi had received her own invitation to KID's heist, the Detective of the East was more than a little startled. The riddle that been sent to Inspector Nakamori clearly read that the Phantom Thief would come after Persephone's Pomegranate at midnight, when the gem in question would be put on display to the audience by its owner. So why would he send her a different note with the intention to steal a rare book written by Sir Conan Doyle? And the first edition of _The Hound of The Baskervilles_ , nonetheless! It wasn't the first time he had tried to trick the police by saying he would be going after one gem and steal another when no one was looking, but to suddenly change his tactics like this?

For once, Kudo Shinichi was at an utter loss as she stood next to Aoko with a small group of anti-KID supporters at the barricade that separated the crowd from the police doing their job. The coffee-haired teen sighed heavily, rubbing her throbbing temples as she desperately tried to come up with a possible solution in accordance to the little grey cells of her mind. Yet just when the pain was about to increase tenfold, a familiar voice suddenly pierced it like a well-aimed rapier.

"Kudo-chan? Is that you?"

Shinichi craned her head upwards, surprise etched across her face at the sight of a large, man standing behind the barricade, dressed in a light brown coat and matching hat that looked all too familiar. "Inspector Megure? What are you doing here?" Her azure eyes widened in surprise while his own beady black ones narrowed. Inspector Megure then tipped the brim of his hat forward. "Something has...happened. And I might need your help on this one, Kudo-chan."

In an instant, the eighteen-year-old teenager was gone and the Detective of the East was staring at the man with a hardened expression. "Of course. Please lead the way." And that was what Inspector Megure did. He led them across the road and to a nearby hotel. After taking the elevator to the third floor from the lobby, he led them down the hall and made a left at the end, reaching an opened room where the forensic team was starting to set up shop, pulling out cameras and other equipment essential for tonight's job.

Inspector Megure nodded to a nearby police officer and ducked beneath the yellow tape. "The victim's name is Kusanagi Seimei, age sixty-five and the owner of all the artifacts in the Ekoda Art Museum. He was supposed to have been there by now with the jewel that Kaitou KID was supposed to be stealing tonight, Persephone's Pomegranate. But as you can see," He nodded towards a desk where an ornate box laid open. "It isn't here. And the victim was found on the balcony."

"Who found him?"

"That would be his personal assistant, twenty-seven year-old Hawatari Natsuo. He came to see if the victim was all right when he wasn't answering his phone. Kusanagi-san was supposed to be giving a speech at the banquet hall a half hour ago and then present the jewel to the public, and apparently he is never late to these sorts of events. The PA's giving a statement right now to one of the officers."

Shinichi nodded, while looking around the room. She had made her way over to the balcony, delicately avoiding the yellow tape and forensic instruments scattered around.

"Any other information so far?"

"The PA said that Kusanagi-san had a family history of heart disease. Apparently, he was born with a slightly weaker heart, although not serious enough to hamper his daily life. We're guessing that the cause of death may be a heart attack, but that doesn't explain the missing gem or why there was a needle mark on the back of his neck. An autopsy and tox screen will hopefully shine a light sooner than later. The medical examiner says that the time of death is between eight and ten o'clock this evening. I have a few guys making rounds right now, taking statements from the other occupants on this floor to see if anyone had seen or heard anything when Kusanagi-san was alive." Megure explained, flipping through his police notebook. "We're also talking to his wife, Kusanagi Mimi. Apparently, she had been at the bar for most of the night, but we're checking to see if her story pans out. We may have found a motive as to why the wife would want her husband dead,"

Seeing Shinichi nod, the burly man continued his evaluation. "According to his phone records, Kusanagi-san made several phone calls to a PI in Beika over the last two weeks, some of these conversations lasting an hour or more. Shiratori-kun speculates that the wife was having an affair, and Mimi-san had Kusanagi-san killed because she didn't want him to find out about it or else she'd be cut out from his will, which according to the PA, was starting to be revised with his lawyer. Shiratori-kun is at the agency right now questioning the investigator whose phone number matches to the one that the victim had been calling. Takagi-kun is also trying to get a hold of the lawyer and confirm about this will's existence."

Shinichi straightened from where she had been crouching near the balcony. She had walked around the room as Megure spoke, occasionally peering at things here and there, checking the bed and nightstand, flipping through the pages of a notebook on the dresser, glancing up at the ceiling, all the while lost in her own world. "Are there any other suspects?"

"Aside from the wife, no. Kusanagi-san seems to be on good terms with everyone, but that doesn't mean he's hasn't had a few enemies. We're also checking his company's financial records in case there's an internal problem that no one will come forward about."

The Detective of the East hummed softly. "Well, that does give us something to work with despite just having one suspect on the roster, though as we find more clues, we'll hopefully have more to go on with this investigation. The only thing I've found so far is this." Shinichi held up a playing card- the Joker- between her index and middle fingers. "Of course, it could just have accidentally fallen out of a deck used for some game earlier, but until proven otherwise, it's evidence."

Another thing Shinichi had noticed but decided not to mention right now was the pillow used to cushion the victim's head. The pillowcase seemed to be of a slightly different stitching and weaving than the other ones, and it gave off a slight scent of peanuts. When her gaze fell upon the stone floor though, she felt her blood run cold at the sight of a familiar, broken monocle. She knew only one person in the entirety of Japan who wore a monocle, and was associated with playing cards.

No matter what the circumstantial evidence pointed to, Shinichi couldn't find it in herself to believe that Kaitou KID could hurt anyone innocent, let alone kill a man for supposedly no reason other than to steal a gem he declared his next target when it would be returned to the police in less than a few hours.

However, Shinichi decided to withhold judgment for the time being. As Holmes once said, "It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has all the evidence. One begins to twist facts to suit theories, rather than theories to suit facts." The sleuth could not assume that KID had a hand in this, even if she discovered the monocle. A moment later, Shinichi went out onto the balcony to take a breath of fresh air, as well as to examine the area closely. She couldn't find anything odd on the balcony; everything seemed to be perfectly normal. Just as she was about to re-enter the room, her eyes fell on the inspector.

From her current position, Shinichi could clearly see Megure conversing with Miwako Sato, an officer in Division One whom the teen meet two years ago as Edogawa Agatha in the Nichuri TV blackmail case. The petite brunette was, to say the least, one of the most lethal female law enforcement agents in Japan and under Megure's supervision. Standing next to Sato-san was a gentleman in his late forties, wearing designer's clothing that seemed to enhance the obvious distaste he had for the police even when he was speaking to them.

However, and surprisingly, Shinichi could hear next to nothing of what they were talking about. When she pulled the sliding glass door open, the sleuth was immediately assaulted with a wave of different sounds. Cameras clicking and flashing, murmuring, and the finely-dressed man explaining to Inspector Megure that he heard a scream from his room at precisely fifteen minutes after nine o'clock, not a minute sooner or later. But just to confirm the theory that was brewing in her mind, Shinichi yanked the door to the other side and shut it all the way. Silence reigned supreme once more, though she could still see the three adults speaking animatedly. Furthermore, she could barely make out the sound of Sato's cellphone going off, a device which usually created a terrific racket whenever it rang. Shinichi saw the slender woman put the phone to her ear, and moving her lips as she spoke.

But the crime scene remained deathly silent. _So how was it possible for the man talking to Inspector Megure to hear the victim screaming on the balcony, with the door locked from the inside, when I can't hear anything in the same scenario?_

Opening the glass door, Shinichi stepped inside the luxurious room just as the portly man turned to her with a quizzical expression. "Did you find something, Kudo-chan?"

"...I think so." Shinichi then shut the sliding door closed, and opened it again before she turned her undivided attention to the supposed witness. "Sir, from your room down the hall, you've told Inspector Megure that you heard a scream at nine-fifteen, is that correct?"

The middle-aged man wrinkled his nose. "Yes, that's correct." Shinichi nodded and turned to the man in charge of Division One. "Inspector Megure, Natsuo-san said he found the victim on the balcony? And that he had to open the door?"

Inspector Megure raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's what the boys have found out when collaborating their testimonies. Why?" He asked.

"Because I think that the balcony isn't where Kusanagi-san died. I'd like to perform a small...experiment, if you don't mind, with one of your officers. Is that alright?"

"By all means, Kudo-chan."

Once the coffee-haired teen thanked him with a courteous nod, she gestured to an officer standing near Sato to follow her onto the balcony. Once the two of them were outside, she asked Inspector Megure to try and speak to them as soon as she shut the door. He looked at her in surprise, but decided to humor the Heisei Holmes and said he would. Nodding, the young woman pulled the door to the opposite side of the balcony and closed it. Shinichi waved at Megure, signalling him to speak. Both the Detective of the East and the equally confused officer strained their ears to hear even the smallest sound, yet neither of them heard anything. She looked at her companion and asked if he could hear what Inspector Megure had said.

"I-I don't know. I didn't even hear him!"

Satisfied that her theory had proven to be correct, Shinichi opened the door and entered the room with the stunned officer right behind.

"Inspector Megure, there is no way that this witness could have heard Kusanagi-san scream out on the balcony at nine-fifteen because this door," Shinichi rapped it lightly with her gloved hands, "Is double-paned, soundproof glass. The scream that he heard came from inside this hotel room, and the murderer moved the body out onto the balcony before locking up the door. However, I don't think the killer acted alone; taking into consideration of both Kusanagi-san's height and weight, a single person would obviously have trouble carrying him and opening the door at the same time without there being any significant signs of struggling, especially on the carpet where drag marks could be seen. But as you can see, there are none. Which means the killer had either held down Kusanagi-san while injecting a needle into his neck, or the accomplice had done the deed and the mastermind had simply opened the balcony door for his partner-in-crime to carry the body while taking Persephone's Pomegranate, most likely as compensation." Shinichi turned to Inspector Megure with narrowed eyes.

"Is there any way we can ask the hotel's head of security to look over any surveillance videos, including the entry and exit points for employees as well as the rooftops? We should consider that these two had meet either before or after the murder."

Inspector Megure blinked in surprise as he caught up to the sleuth's line of thinking before nodding. "I did send a couple of men to go check out the surveillance videos about ten minutes ago. They should be returning in a while to report on them."

Shinichi hummed in agreement and just when she was about to look around the room a little more, a ruffled officer and his colleague entered the crime scene, almost running into the portly man with flushed faces. "I-Inspector, we just found a note! I-It's from that the Phantom Thief who was supposed to take that gem tonight! Kaitou KID!"

"What?!"

The unified response came from both the inspector and the Detective of the East. "How's that possible? We've have had every corner of the building monitored since we were called here! You two had better not be slacking on the job!" Inspector Megure shouted, causing the law enforcement agents to flinch at his harsh tone of voice. The one with scruffy-looking brown hair hiding under a Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force hat spoke up but didn't dare look at his superior in the eye as a gloved hand held out the note.

"W-We don't know, sir! We were doing our rounds around the hotel per your orders, and when we came here to the room, it was just lying in front of the door. Right there in the corridor, I swear!"

"He's telling the truth, sir!" His companion said.

Taking pity on the poor bloke who unintentionally earned the inspector's anger, Shinichi took the note from the trembling man and thanked him. Once it was out of his grasp, he immediately snapped to attention like a ball of coiled yarn. Judging from the nervous behavior he was exhibiting, the sleuth silently deduced that this was his first time at a crime scene. A KID let alone someone who's never been out in the field before.

Slicing open the envelope with a gloved finger, Shinichi pulled out a small piece of high quality paper and scanned its contents. The words were enough to startle the Heisei Holmes, but she could not allow her personal feelings decide on the next course of action in this investigation.

Clearing her throat, the sleuth regained her composure and read the note out loud with a calm, contemplative expression.

"I sincerely apologize for disappointing my wonderful audience, but it is with a heavy heart that I must cancel this heist. I shall not come to whisk away the famous Persephone's Pomegranate due to certain unfortunate events regarding its owner. Once again, my sincere apologies."

Written underneath these solemn sentences was KID's signature caricature.

Once the letter had been heard by everyone in the room, a stunned silence fell upon them until the person who had given the envelope to Shinichi swallowed and said to Inspector Megure. "S-Sir, there's something else you should know. During our rounds, Yamato-kun and I found one of the housekeepers in the hall and asked her a few questions. S-She was shaken up, you see, and said...she said that around nine o'clock, she started making her rounds on this floor and asked guests if they wanted fresh towels. Then around nine-thirty, s-she saw Kaitou KID running down the hall with Persephone's Pomegranate in his hand! A-And twenty minutes later, Natsuo-san came to this floor and discovered Kusanagi-san's body on the balcony!"

Murmurs and stifled gasps suddenly surged through the crime scene, yet those sounds fell onto Shinichi's deaf ears. All she could hear was the blood thrumming in her ears. It...This wasn't possible. Kaitou KID had a strict code of morals; he did not harm anyone physically beyond dousing sleeping gas or giving a small concussion. He might be one of the most wanted jewel thieves in the world, but it wasn't like him to break these guidelines that, up until now, he had followed to the letter, just to steal a gem.

Yet beyond the memories and personal experiences she had shared with KID as both Edogawa Agatha and Kudo Shinichi, they were simply constituted in the Japanese law system as being too emotionally attached to the case. They meant nothing to the police who investigated crimes and the courthouses that prosecuted them.

Inspector Megure shared the same sentiment. When Shinichi was on the balcony inspecting the crime scene, he had found a white glove caught on the edge of the sharp corner of a bird-shaped statue on the coffee table. While it hadn't made sense at the time, this new revelation had cemented it in his mind that the glove had to belong to KID. Including the Joker card that Shinichi had found earlier as well as the broken monocle, he was now convinced that KID had a part to play in this mystery.

He pulled down the brim of his hat, a hardened expression etched across his face as he spoke to his team and Kudo-chan, oblivious on the effect that his announcement would have on the latter.

"Another suspect's been officially added to the list, everyone. The Phantom Thief 1412, Kaitou KID."

* * *

 **It seems that the anticipated confession between these star-crossed lovers will have to wait until the Detective of the East can clear KID's name of first-degree murder! With a keen eye for detail, Shinichi will not stop pursuing the inevitable truth behind this carefully orchestrated crime is revealed! :) I can't believe the number of reviews for** _Paper Faces_ **has reached the goal of attaining three digits! If it could 151 (another odd number! XD) that would be fantastic!**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	19. Chapter Eighteen

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Immense gratitude towards **OnyxKatana** and **J0kersGirl** for their help with this chapter. The eighteenth act of _Paper Faces_ has, by far, become one of the most difficult segments I have had to write since I began this story, on top of handing a few personal hurdles that have occurred in the last month. If either of you are reading this, thank you again. Your support, feedback and ideas were extremely helpful, especially pertaining to the puzzle pieces from the crime featured in the previous chapter.

And so without further ado, let the show begin! :)

* * *

A person didn't have be a world-class sleuth to realize that Shinichi was positively fuming when she returned to Number 223 Clyro Villa. And if it weren't for the fact that it was around one o'clock on Sunday morning, she definitely would have slammed the door for good measure due to being both annoyed as well as angry. Despite everything she had done for the police department since her very first case, including the respect she had earned from the senior law enforcement officers as the Heisei Holmes, they still treated Shinichi like a child. Inspector Megure had excused the dark-haired teen from examining the crime scene in a manner similar to telling a favorite, but difficult, niece that it was bedtime.

To the moustached man, it was obvious to him that Kudo-chan was exhausted, and she needed to go home for a well-deserved rest so that she could get her gray cells working at full capacity in the morning. And all because she subtly mentioned that it wasn't possible for KID to be Kusanagi-san's murderer because it was totally unlike his modus operandi! On top of being frustrated with Inspector Megure, Shinichi's photographic memory groggily reminded her that she still had to finish an essay for her English class and send the final revision of The Witch's Banquet to the publishing company by Monday morning. Now, she understood why her father occasionally rant about his editors and "those damned deadlines from the Devil himself". Their expectations were enough to drive anyone up the wall, really.

Thankfully though, Kuroba-kun had been a massive help over the summer in proofreading and giving feedback on the manuscript, so all she needed to do was make a few modifications plus one final overview before sending it off. Furthermore, in light of solving this infernal mystery, that essay on the Tudor's influence in Europe could wait.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, Shinichi poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down in three, unladylike gulps. This investigation was affecting her more than it should. The fact that Inspector Megure had made the Phantom Thief one of the prime suspects made it worse than her usual cases. Every fibre of her being screamed that KID could have not done such an atrocious deed, much less do it because a gemstone. He always, always returned what he stole without having a single member of Inspector Nakamori's task force injured. Humiliating them via glitter bombs or decoys that sent them on a wild goose chase, however, was not beyond the criminal's mischievous streak. But on top of everything else, Shinichi has owed that damned magician a considerably debt since the Rainbow Maiden heist. If he hadn't been able to divert the Organization's attention long enough for them to escape, she doubted that either of them would escape unscathed. These syndicates tended to carry a lot of heat when they wanted someone dead and mounted on their walls.

This case needed to solved, and quickly before it muddled her mind in the worst way possible, more than they already were. Shinichi's heart sang that KID was innocent, while her mind objected and coldly stated that these emotions were clouding her judgement. Once the Detective of the East had polished off two large glasses of water, Shinichi went over to the dining room table and started to jot down what she knew about the case so far, including the suspects and their possible motives to kill Kusanagi Seimei and steal Persephone's Pomegranate.

 _Kusanagi Mimi (37) - Seimei's wife. Manager of a modelling agency. Could have killed the victim so as to not be cut out from husband's will if he found out that she was (supposedly) having an affair. Was last seen in the hotel's lobby bar, possibly the last person to see the victim alive._

 _Kaitou KID - Internationally wanted jewel thief. Targeted the victim's gemstone via a heist notice from Inspector Nakamori. Possible motive (?)_

 _Hawatari Natsuo (27) - The victim's PA. Speculation of body language between him and the wife imply that they are lovers, and perhaps the man that the investigator in Beika was following. Need physical evidence to back up this possibility._

Shinichi looked over the details once, twice, and then by the third time she realized that the investigation would be at a standstill until Inspector Megure confirmed the wife's alibi, received any more information on the PI that the victim hired prior to his death, and attained the financial records from Kusanagi-san's company via Takagi-san.

Therefore, with a grim frown stretched across her mouth, Shinichi closed the notebook and proceeded to catch up on some much needed sleep. Not that she would ever admit it out loud or within ear shot of Inspector Megure, of course. However, while she finished brushing her teeth, the dark-haired teen's little gray cells reminded Shinichi something she had forgotten until now.

Earlier last week, the sleuth had gotten an email from Sakano Nisei - who will be her official editor once the one-year contract she signed with the publishing company is finalized- on the pretense of discovering a writing reference that may prove to be extremely helpful to the sleuth in the near future. With everything that has happened between uncovering the truth about Pandora and Kuroba-san ignoring her in class, searching for the book was placed on the bottom of her priority list.

And given to the fact that she just remembered it, the Detective of the East groggily concluded that she might as well stay up to find and purchase the item before going to sleep. Booting up her laptop, slim fingers tapped rapidly against the onyx keyboard. Double clicking on a link to the site she occasionally ordered from, Shinichi punched in the title under the 'Books' category and thankfully find it in under less than five minutes.

Just when the order had been confirmed and charged to her bank account, bleary blue eyes blinked at the section of rare books being advertised for a limited time only. Curious, Shinichi moved her mouse onto a random tome and clicked on it, seeing a brief summary as well as three photographs: the front, the back, and even the first page. Yet on the bottom left hand corner there….were initials. "KS".

Shinichi frowned. The letters sounded familiar. But...where? Closing her eyes, the sleuth allowed her little gray cells to go through her extensive memory banks, similar to how the Internet conducted a search based on the words placed in the search engine of a chosen website. When she had finally remembered, the epiphany almost slapped Shinichi across the face.

While assessing the hotel and how it would be possible for the killer or his accomplice to commit the crime and vanish with all of the extra security due to the KID heist, Shinichi happened to bump into the museum's curator, who decided to come to the lobby bar for a drink. The Detective of the East asked him a few generic questions, and he in turn whispered some information about Kusanagi Seimei. While it was true that the rare books on display were indeed from his collection, but it was only a quarter of it. For the last six months (and Shinichi didn't hear it from the curator himself), someone has been able to bypass the security on Kusanagi's special room for his rare books despite changing the code every day and stealing them. The teen investigator was able to get a list of the books from the curator before leaving the hotel, on the pretense that it might put on a different angle on the case and try to clear KID's reputation of first-degree murder.

Suddenly rejuvenated, Shinichi pulled out the list and closely examined the book she saw on the glaring LED screen. After a few minutes, she deduced that the rare novel in question, a Japanese first edition of Darwin's Origins of Species, was the very same book that went missing from the victim's collection three months ago. For the next two hours, she cross-examined the list and saw that every single book had either been sold to an eager buyer or was still on the market for a hefty price. Furthermore, they were all owned by someone whose username went by "TheRarityCollector". Just when the exhaustion was finally catching up to the young woman, Shinichi called Inspector Megure and asked him if it was possible to track down this person through the website, or at the very least the IP address on which these transactions were being made. Once she disconnected the five-minute conversation and double-checked that the apartment was locked up tight, Shinichi fell asleep on top of the futon in the blink of an eye.

Eight hours later and two cups of piping hot coffee, Inspector Megure called the teen sleuth at ten o'clock with more information on the case. As he speculated last night, the cause of death was not a heart attack, but an allergic reaction to peanuts; furthermore, the tox screen showed traces of trichloromethane, commonly known as chloroform, in the victim's bloodstream. Slowly digesting this discovery in her humming mind, Shinichi quietly replied that Kusanagi-san must have been dosed with the chloroform before being exposed to his allergy. "What about the pillow that was used to cushion the victim's head? Would the scent from that be enough to trigger an allergic reaction?" Shinichi asked, taking a languid sip of her beverage.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to answer that question until the lab boys finished analyzing, and you were right about it not belonging to the hotel. The killer or his accomplice must've brought with them to do the job. Oh, and the wife's alibi at the lobby bar was checked by the bartender. She only left the area once, but came back five minutes later from using the restroom. She couldn't have gone to the third floor and kill her husband in that small amount of time, but that doesn't mean she could've hired someone to do the job, especially since Kusanagi-san's will was being rewritten. We received a confirmation about it this morning from the lawyer," Inspector Megure, pausing for a moment. "Furthermore, we did have another look around the building, and found more evidence that points to KID being the culprit."

Shinichi felt a rock sink to the bottom of her stomach at the investigator's word, but masked her growing anxiety in a neutral voice that persuaded Inspector Megure to continue. "One of the rookies suggested that since KID would have needed to dispose both his costume and the evidence without giving himself away to the police, perhaps they were placed in one of the laundry hampers that are left in the hallway near the restrooms while the maids do their rounds. Sato-kun decided to humor him, and as it turns out, we found both the costume and syringe used to inject Kusanagi-san with the chloroform in one of the dirty laundry hampers. We're hoping to find even a partial print on either of them. We also discovered a colored contact tense in the hallway where the maid saw KID running down the hall. We should have DNA results within the hour."

Azure eyes widened ever so slightly. "Did...you say...a colored contact lense?"

"Yeah, Sato-kun said it looked like it was dark blue. Why?"

Shinichi glanced at the list she left on the dining room table, the wheels in her mind starting to turn. "Inspector Megure, I think I might have solved this case."

xPFx

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Shinichi and the police force were able to assemble the group of suspects to the hotel's banquet hall, lined with uniformed officers so as not to disrupt the gathering. The dark-haired teen surveyed each of them carefully before she respectfully bowed her head to them.

"Thank you very much for cooperating with Inspector Megure and myself on such short notice. There has been an unexpected development in the investigation, in light of surprising evidence that Inspector Megure discovered this morning," Seeing the traces of irritation and confusion being replaced with both fear and intrigue in their body language, the sleuth continued as she carefully pulled out a piece of paper from her pants pocket.

"What I have in my hand is a list of rare books that've gone missing from Kusanagi-san's private collection for the last six months. Mimi-san, you wouldn't have any access to the room where your husband kept these volumes because he changed the security code every day, correct?"

The petite blonde looked at Shinichi in surprise and slowly shook her head. "No. If there was one thing that Seimei-san treasured above collecting gemstones from his international travels, it was those dusty old volumes. He'd never would have allowed them to leave that room, much less the house, unless he was right there!" The sleuth stared at the brown-haired widow for a long moment before she nodded. "Of course. However, there was one other person who knew these codes but was extremely careful in how to remove them from the room without being caught. However, that's half of the fun right there, when committing embezzlement right under Kusanagi-san's nose wasn't bringing enough excitement in your work. Isn't that correct, Natsuo-san? Or should I refer to you as 'TheRarityCollector'?"

All of the attention shifted to the victim's secretary, whose face became a shade of bone-white with hazel eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "W-What are you talking about, Kudo-san? Why would I steal from Kusanagi-sama, much less money from the company I work for? And I've never heard of that username before!" Shinichi raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "But how do you know that I was referring to a username than an actual nickname?"

"T-That's-!"

"Don't try and deny it, Hawatari-san," Inspector Megure snapped. "My team was able to trace the account under that username to the company computer that's registered under your name. I'll admit that you did a good job on covering your tracks, especially with small withdrawals you made from the company's accounts, but you got careless when you made a pretty expensive purchase yesterday evening. Does the topic on rare gemstones ring any bells?"

"I-I don't know-"

He was cut short by Inspector Megure's low but authoritative tones. "Stop lying. It's no use. The account was tracked and traced to you. Apart from that, you bought a rather old book on rare gemstones last evening, at 8:15 PM, using your credit card. Moreover, the autopsy report we received this morning

clearly shows that the cause of death was not a heart attack, but a severe allergic reaction that stopped his heart."

"What does an allergic reaction have to do with this? I didn't murder him!"

Shinichi smoothly stepped in, her sharp blue eyes trained on the PA, whose face had drained of colour. "Now, Natsuo-san, you are digging yourself into a deeper hole. No one used the word 'murder' either. So, you can either confess everything straight away on your own, or we can drag this out and I can elaborate on exactly how everything was orchestrated, down to the last detail. I'll let you choose."

"Kudo-san, what are you talking about? I'm certain that Natsuo-san couldn't possibly have stolen and sold all those rare books from the collection, much less committed murder?!" Kusanagi Mimi looked positively shocked and slightly hysterical. Honestly, the teenager couldn't blame her.

"I'm sorry to say this, but it's true. And I have enough evidence to say so. The cameras in the corridor did that for me. Those cameras showed Kaitou KID definitely running down the hall and confirming the maid's statement, but those same cameras also proved that it was not him. For one, they showed that KID's eyes were green. The newspapers, the media and the police have claimed more than enough times that Kaitou KID were a dark shade of blue, indigo to be precise. Moreover, the police found a blue-colored contact lens in the corridor, which the criminal used to disguise himself as KID and frame the Phantom Thief for a crime he did not commit. DNA doesn't lie, and it revealed that Natsuo-san was the one wearing them. Your plan was precise and detailed, right to knowing when and how long the housekeepers would take to do their rounds long enough to change out of the costume, and dispose of the evidence. His credit card wasn't used to purchase it, but the owner of the shop where it was sold recognized Natsuo-san from a photograph, and said that he came in on the day before the murder to purchase it for a 'friend'. Before you think about trying to lie to the police and myself again, Natsuo-san, there's one thing I need to know: who was your accomplice?"

"A-accomplice?!"

"Correct. Judging from your weight and height, it's physically impossible to inject the chloroform and keep a man of Kusanagi-san's size pinned to the ground at the same time. This logic also includes carrying him to the balcony without leaving any drag marks on the floor," Blue orbs narrowed dangerously at the flinching man before Shinichi slowly held up a photograph to the shell-shocked group. There in the grainy image was the secretary, giving Persephone's Pomegranate to a broad-shouldered man dressed in all black, the brim of a fedora obscuring any facial recognition.

"I'll ask you one more time, Natsuo-san. Who was the person that helped you commit this crime?"

"A-All right, I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything that I know! I-" Just when was he about to say anything else to the detective and the police force, the glass behind Natsuo shattered, followed by five, consecutive crimson geysers suddenly bursting from his chest. Shinichi could only watch in utter shock as the victim's personal assistant fell onto the ground. In a matter of seconds, Natsuo had been demoted from being a prime suspect in a criminal investigation, to a corpse just like Kusanagi-san.

When Kusanagi Mimi released a high-pitched scream, pandemonium and chaos reigned supreme in the meeting room.

xPFx

It was lot harder to knock out Inspector Megure and take his place in the banquet hall than the Phantom Thief had anticipated. Despite being an officer in his mid to late forties, he was a lot more observant than people have given him credit for; either that, or he's picked up a few habits from working with Shin-chan for so long. Regardless, KID successfully infiltrated the area and plucked his dear critic from the chaos before Snake, or whoever made at least a dozen holes in the unfortunate Natsuo-san. Thankfully, the girl did not kick up too much of a fuss as he pulled her back, away from the recently deceased PA. Taking advantage of the momentary shock and confusion, he pulled a small spray bottle from his sleeve and quickly spritzed the girl. His particular blend of sleeping gas was extremely potent and fast-acting, and almost immediately, Shinichi swayed before collapsing in his arms. Under the pretext of taking care of her, he stepped out of the room where the chaos was unfolding, neatly sidestepping the array of officers that were pouring in, having heard the gunshots and the glass shattering.

Holding her carefully, he bounded over to the fire escape and used the stairs to make his way to the ground floor. Quickly removing his disguise and stuffing it into the backpack he had kept prepared, he transformed into Kuroba Kaito. Adjusting Shinichi so that he was holding her up, he walked out through the fire exit, exiting into the alley behind the hotel. He used his phone to call Jii-san and tell him his location. Supporting Shinichi's entire weight on himself, he walked out to the edge of the alley, where Jii-san had pulled up with the car. To any bystander, it would have seemed like the girl had collapsed on him and he was helping her out. He even gave her the occasional shake for good measure. Helping her into the car, he got in beside her, and signalled to Jii-san to start the car.

He could not risk KID being sighted anywhere near the scene, as he was already being suspected of murder. There was no doubt in his mind that once the media had gotten wind on about what happened at the hotel, it would be even more difficult for the Phantom Thief to continue his search for Pandora. As much as he hated to admit it, the nightly shows would have to be cancelled until his (slightly) pristine name was cleared from committing first-degree murder.

Fifteen to twenty minutes later, Jii-chan and Kaito arrived at the Blue Parrot. With both gentleman supporting Shinichi's limp frame, they were able to carry the young woman up the stairs and into a room that the billiards owner used to help KID plan his next heist. According to his estimation, the sleeping gas would be wearing off, and the sleuth would wake up any moment. He hurriedly changed into his signature white suit, complete with monocle and top hat. Kuroba Kaito gave way to the jewel thief, Kaitou KID. The stage was set, and all that remained was for the show to begin.

Jii-chan, aware what exactly was going to happen between the young lady and his Young Master, left the establishment on the pretense that he had to get a few things at the store. The older man was not too keen on having Kuroba Kaito revealing everything to the very sleuth who wanted to put him behind bars for his crimes as KID. However, Jii had a soft spot for Kudo Shinichi, and knew that the girl had a good heart. Perhaps, just perhaps, things might turn out for the better. Besides, he could see that his Bocchan had been facing extreme inner turmoil. If this was the only solution, then so be it.

xPFx

Azure orbs blinked once, then twice, before Shinichi released a low groan, suddenly assaulted by a wave of nausea and exhaustion.

"What...happened?" The dark-haired sleuth whispered, to no one in particular, as her eyes adjusted to the surroundings. "All I remember...is confronting Natsuo-san, and then he...he died. Isn't that right?"

"I do apologise for the extremely un-gentlemanly behaviour, Kudo-chan. Or, as we know each other, my dear Tantei-chan?"

Shinichi snapped to attention, as she analysed the words. She knew that velvet voice like the back of her hand, and those polite tones too. She almost couldn't believe it, but decided to say it out loud, more as a confirmation for herself.

"KID." The Detective of the East said with gritted teeth and pushed herself up from the futon underneath her, but was suddenly attacked by more fatigue. "Damn. What the hell did you use? And more importantly, how did you bypass the security at the hotel without tipping yourself off to Inspector Nakamori?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets, Tantei-chan. You of all people should know that by now~." The most wanted criminal in Japan countered with a shark-like grin and mischievous wink. Unfortunately for KID, his response did very little to calm down the furious detective.

"Robbery, a suspect of first-degree murder, and now kidnapping. Are you trying to paint an even bigger target on your back by saving a damsel in distress, you idiotic magician? Or is this some half-assed attempt to confront those men in black again, when you don't even know that Persephone's Pomegranate is Pandora?" Shinichi snapped, her blue orbs darkening at the white-clad thief. "

To her increasing anger, the magician's response was a soft, knowing smirk. It was bordering on patronising, the kind that appear when someone gives a child when they narrate a discovery or an event that is common knowledge. "I see you've done your homework, Kudo-chan. And very thoroughly too. I'll add a bit to that and tell you that Persephone's Pomegranate is not Pandora. It was never actually my target at all. The heist was just to throw the Organisation off the track."

"Then why send me a heist note that you'd be stealing The Hound of Baskervilles from the rare book collection? That isn't like you, and there hadn't been any rumors of a hidden jewel in that particular novel."

"Because my target was never any jewel. The only target I had this time was you. I knew you would come if I targeted a valuable Holmes book, a first-edition no less." His lips curled into a smile. "I was right, wasn't I, Shin-chan~?"

Shinichi's eyes widened, as she tried to take this in. The elaborate heist was a ruse to get to her? Why would he do that? Her mind was running a mile a minute as she tried to make sense of everything. Also, something about the nickname that the Phantom Thief used to address her rubbed her the wrong way. It didn't feel wrong to hear him call her that, but they were not quite that familiar. "D-Don't call me that."

"Oh? And why ever not?"

"Because...you don't have the right to address me like that." Shinichi stammered, her glare wavering ever so slightly as she looked at the Phantom Thief straight in the eye. "We might be rivals, sometimes friends, but at the end, you and I are on different sides. And in light of recent events, I've come to realize that's all that you are to me: a client who approached me with a task I cannot complete. Furthermore, you are the Kaitou KID. You can just disappear and reappear to your heart's content, whether it's to engage in an intellectual game or steal a gem while putting on show for the audience. You...you're not there. Not like...like how a friend should be. Not like how another magician friend of mine has been there for me when I needed someone the most. To me...he is the true magician, someone I will always hold in the highest regard and cherish until the end of my days. No one else can hold a candle to Kuroba Kaito. Not even you, KID."

KID smirked, but his eyes were shadowed by the brim of his hat. "Well, if you say so. I'll take your word for it, Tantei-chan. However, I do disagree with you about one thing."

Shinichi's eyes narrowed. KID's politely charming tones always threw her off balance, and she could never quite predict what he would do next. Taking a chance, she decided to go along with his games. "I don't recall asking for your opinion on the matter, KID."

"I do think I'm entitled to an opinion. Seeing as I am the matter. Wouldn't you agree, hmm?" The gentleman thief asked. The Detective of the East raised an eyebrow at him. "You are, to a certain degree, but what are you getting at? I'd prefer to not beat around the bush when it comes to a discussion like this."

"I'm quite hurt by the fact that you hold this Kuroba Kaito in such high regard, while you wound my pride with your razor-sharp words. It is rather unfair to say that I cannot hold a candle to him. I'm pretty certain that if there is anyone in the world who can match up to either of us, it would be the other. Kuroba Kaito and Kaitou KID."

The coffee-haired sleuth blinked at the Phantom Thief in utter confusion. It wasn't unusual for KID to speak in riddles, especially when she had confronted him on the rooftops as Edogawa Agatha, but this felt...different. More complex, more cryptic? Were those even the right words to describe KID's unusual speech pattern?

"What are you getting at?" Shinichi asked after a long, uneasy silence fell upon the dimly-lit room.

The Phantom Thief, who had not moved from his position since his critic regained consciousness, took a step forward, another one and then another. Within three strides, he was standing at barely an arm's distance from Shinichi. All the mischief that danced in his dark blue eyes vanished, and steadfastly locked onto her own. His voice was low, serious and shaking as he spoke.

"For so long, everyone has been dying to know who the elusive Phantom Thief was under the monocle and hat. But after all that's happened, after everything we've been through as rivals and sometimes friends, I've decided to take a leap of faith. You're the only person whom I truly trust, and you're the only one whom I would trust with my identity, even when you could potentially reveal it to the police."

Taking a deep breath, KID continued, still maintaining eye contact with the sleuth as he placed a hand over his bone-white hat, tipping it forward ever so slightly. Shinichi felt dread settle in her stomach as she waited for him to finish speaking. His next words made her world tilt sideways.

"Do it, Shin-chan. Unmask the Kaitou KID."

* * *

 **Despite being able to find the one truth behind Kusanagi-san's murder, the prime suspect has offed and Shinichi is given an offer she couldn't refuse. Or will she resist the temptation to unmask the Phantom Thief and remain ignorant of KID's true identity? Decisions, decisions :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Once again, thanks to **OnyxKatana** for helping me with this chapter in midst the chaos and pandemonium of real-life. I'd also like to give a special shout-out to **J0kersGirl** , and hope that she feels better soon! She and **OnyxKatana** have really helped this story come together. And so without further ado, let the nineteenth act of _Paper Faces_ begin! :)

* * *

Shinichi blinked in disbelief at the Moonlight Magician, dark blue orbs widening as his request sunk into the depths of her muddled mind. _Unmask the Kaitou KID._ He said those words so easily, as if it were an absolutely effortless task that required no second thought to accomplish. How could this person be so flippant on such a serious matter? They were discussing about revealing his true identity to a detective for crying out loud, the same person who had been chasing him for the last two years as the KID Killer!

Inhaling a deep breath to calm her rattled nerves, she looked at KID straight in the eye with a grim frown stretched across her face. "Do you truly understand what you're asking me to do, Kaitou KID? If I were to unmask you, then you'd no longer be able to hide from myself, Inspector Nakamori, or those men in black who are chasing you. Are you willing to take such a risk with someone like me?"

Shinichi felt a tiny twinge of irritation as she watched KID tip his elaborate top hat with a shark-like smirk aimed at her. "I know perfectly well what I said, Kudo-chan. This time, I'm done hiding from you. I have no more reason to. Furthermore I know you, and I trust you, to not go and immediately sell me out to Inspector Nakamori once you've heard everything I have to say to you. Won't you even give me that chance? Even the great Sherlock Holmes was prone to listening to both sides of a story before coming to a conclusion, hmm? Or am I wrong, my dear Tantei-chan?"

A heavy silence fell upon the two dark-haired occupants of the room before Shinichi made the first move. She slowly rose from the futon, and while she still felt fatigued both mentally and physically, the young woman was able to steady herself on the carpeted floor. Maintaining eye contact with the Phantom Thief, Shinichi walked towards him. Left. Right. Left. And right. Within seconds, the sleuth was within arms' reach of the criminal.

"This is your last chance to walk away, Kaitou KID. You can escape right now and I wouldn't be any wiser as to who you truly are behind the monocle. Everything would remain the same; you would steal a gem, and I'll continue to chase after you on the rooftops." Even though there was some logic behind her statement, deep down Shinichi knew that it was impossible for things to go back to the way things were between herself and the Moonlight Magician. She knew and had seen too much. Sooner or later, the Organization will connect the dots on Pandora's whereabouts and come after them. Whether she would be their first target or KID remains a mystery.

But to her surprise, KID took a step forward. Now there were barely a few inches apart. While that infernal hat and monocle were not enough variables to reveal his true identity right away since he was known to be a master of disguise as well, the close proximity was causing Shinichi's little gray cells to go haywire because she couldn't make heads or tails as to what he would do next. Then, his lips tilted up into a ghost of yet another annoying smirk.

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Shin-chan. There is no going back to the way things were, we've already moved beyond that point when I decided to bring you here. If I truly didn't want my identity to be revealed, then I would've used at least one of the 36 different escape routes I've planned. But I'm still here. And you of all people should know that it's too late to go from this. The point of no return."

Raising a gloved hand up in the air, KID took one of Shinichi's hands and brushed a soft kiss across her knuckles. A soft smile appeared on his face as he watched the sleuth's cheeks become a light shade of pink. The rays of the moonlight from the only window in the room almost made such an adorable expression...exquisite in his eyes. As he brought their joint appendages up to his face, the dark-haired thief used his other hand to coil around Shinichi's spare wrist, so that he gently held her arm and her fingers were able to brush against the edge of his monocle.

"Please. Unmask the Kaitou KID, Kudo Shinichi."

Ignoring the way her pulse sped up at his words and recent actions, Shinichi steeled herself. Giving him a curt nod, she leveled her gaze onto the monocle and before carefully slid it from his nose. Who would have thought that such a simple accessory...could feel so heavy in her palm right now? This was a layer of the Kaitou KID she had just pulled away. Now, all that was left is his hat.

Raising her spare hand upwards while the one that held KID's monocle fell to the side, Shinichi used the same, gentle method to remove the last barrier between herself and the Phantom Thief. But as she lifted the hat from his head, the Detective of the East suddenly closed her eyes. After chasing him for so long, she has finally unmasked Japan's most notorious jewel thief. However...was she truly ready to see who was behind the velvety (infuriating) voice and the teasing remarks? Or... was it too soon after all?

KID sensed her hesitation. Taking the hat and monocle from Shinichi's quivering appendages, he deposited them on a nearby table before he cradled the detective's hands in his larger palms. He brought one of them back to his face while the other rubbed soothing circles on the back of her hand. "Come on, open your eyes, Shin-chan. I'm not that bad-looking, I promise." The Magician under the Moonlight pleaded with a soft smile, even though he felt a tug of disappointment when the detective's eyes remained closed.

"Just because you say that, it doesn't mean you could still disappear here and now. KID is a criminal who can fool others and vanish from sight in the blink of an eye, and before anyone realizes what has happened, it's already too late. He's gone. I...I could never do that. I could never vanish like that without taking responsibility for my actions. But KID doesn't have to worry about the consequences, doesn't he? Because the Kaitou KID is just another mask that makes it easy for him to hide from others."

To Shinichi's surprise and mild fury, she heard him laugh. A genuine, heartfelt laugh that was neither an arrogant scoff or snort. She could feel KID shaking with amusement through the sporadic spasms emitting from their interwined hands.

"W-What's so funny, KID?" Shinchi demanded. "Do you honestly think that unveiling of your true identity is now some sort of joke? We're talking about something that could either keep you safe from people who want to hurt you, or be used to paint a target on your back and the people you care about!" The Detective of the East almost shouted, her ire bouncing off the walls in the room. At this rate, he might be better off in a loony bin than serving time in prison for his thefts!

Suddenly, she felt KID reign in his laughter and composed himself. The shaking had subsided significantly from large bouts to smaller, subtle movements. A few moments passed before the Phantom Thief spoke in a voice that still radiated his amusement.

"Forgive me, Shin-chan. It just amuses me to think that the thief is the one asking the detective to unmask him, and that the detective is the one with the second thoughts. Honestly, of all the scenarios I have been imagining, this particular one has never crossed my mind. Although, on a more serious note," Shinichi felt her hand, the one that was on his face, being covered by his gloved one. His nimble fingers splayed out against her own, their joined palms cupping his cheek. For a split second she felt him lean into her hand, sighing softly at the contact. The sleuth stiffened ever so slightly as she felt another gloved hand - KID's spare one - leave her other hand and coil itself around her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. A few moments passed before KID spoke again, this time his voice was serious.

"I know what you mean by my disappearing acts. First, need I remind you that I am an excellent escape artist? I could have disappeared a lot of times right now, without you being able to do anything about it, and I'm still here. Second, what are you even worrying about? KID isn't here anymore. You took care of that a long time ago. Right here is my true identity, and I want you to know it. Know me, Shinichi." The coffee-haired teen almost flinched. Both at how the hand on her shoulder began to make small circles with a padded thumb, and when he spoke again in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

"In the name and honor of Kaitou KID, I swear that I'm not going anywhere, Shin-chan. I promise."

Shinichi remained silent, contemplating the thief's logic and reluctantly realized that he had made a valid point. KID trusted her, enough to reveal his civilian identity at the risk of possibly being arrested for his criminal record. And that meant she had to, at the very least, show that she trusted him. Inhaling a deep breath, the sleuth slowly opened her eyes. She blinked once, then twice to adjust to her dimly-lit surroundings, before she released a low gasp.

"K-Kuroba-kun?"

There was no mistaking it. That messy dark hair, going every which way. The tall, lean frame dressed in the pristine white tuxedo of Kaitou KID. That infuriating half-smirk spread across his mouth. But most of all, Shinichi would recognize those sparkling indigo orbs in an instant.

Still, was an internal struggle for Shinichi to reconcile that the flirty persona of the Phantom Thief with Ekoda High's ultimate prankster. It made sense, while simultaneously making none at all.

Regardless, she kept her eyes trained on Kaito's face as she stroked the heated skin under her fingertips, smaller and slower than what he had done with her hands. This face...the slightly rough texture, and the way she could feel a steady pulse...it was real. This wasn't a synthetic mask. Kuroba Kaito and Kaitou KID… were truly one and the same.

"It's really you."

Kaito responded with a gentle nod before he leaned further into her hand. He could clearly see the confusion and disbelief dancing in those azure irises, yet there was no sign of her famous temper. Deciding to take a chance, the unveiled thief risked smiling at his favorite critic as he waited for Shinichi to process everything that has just happened.

A heavy silence fell upon the two teens before the dark-haired sleuth broke it with a small, if not awkward grin of her own. "We...definitely have a lot to talk about. Question is, which of us should start off? You or me?"

The mischievous prankster cracked another smile at Shinichi as he lead her to the futon. He sat first, and then gently coaxed the detective to sit beside him with their hands still curled around another. "Why don't I start? From what I recall, you've already spilt a fair bits of your secrets, Shin-chan. Or should I say, Edogawa Agatha?"

Shinichi felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach at his words. Ah. So, he knew about too? Yet after everything that the two of them had been through together over the last two years as both rivals and temporary allies, she was somewhat glad that he knew already. Looking at him straight in the eye, Shinichi unconsciously squeezed the hand that was coiled around hers.

"How did it all start?" Definitely not the best question to ask, but it was a step forward for them.

xPFx

They did not know how they'd been talking for. All Kaito and Shinichi knew was that they were experiencing a large accumulation of information at a single time. Unimaginable secrets had come to light, and both of them found themselves in the midst of something much bigger than they had initially assumed. They did not know if their stories were connected or not, but they were certainly tangled in each other's messes. Though in midst of this frightening epiphany, Shinichi did not relinquish the grip she had on Kaito's hand. If anything, it only tightened, especially at intervals when she witnessed his expression change to a sadness she never wanted to see again. "It seems that the both of us have been through a lot, for better or for worse. I'm sorry that you lost your father. It...must have been hard. Considering what I had gone through, I just got lucky that everyone I care about is still here with me."

Kaito intertwined his fingers with hers, and lightly squeezed her hand. "It's… alright. I do miss my father, but I guess things just happen sometimes, for better or worse. There's nothing one can do about it… However, being KID, it was one of my favourite things. KID is so much more than Kuroba Kaito can be. KID has brought me some things that I could probably never have as Kaito. The thrill of heists, the awe of an audience spellbound by magic, and most of all, the attention of a certain critic who came to every one of those shows."

At the last sentence, he shot Shinichi an expression that was half of a smile and smirk. Unfortunately for the dark-haired teen, his attempt at flirting flew right over his critic's head as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I had no idea you'd be such a sucker for romance, Kuroba-kun. Maybe that's the reason why you go all out with flirting with the ladies at your heists. Or could it be that French heritage you claim to have inherited from Arsene Lupin?"

Using his free hand, Kaito clutched his chest in an exaggerated fashion that made the fair maiden snort. "You wound me, Shin-chan. I do not go all out with flirting with the ladies. It's only the occasional compliment or sweet talking. You forget that I'm the Gentleman Thief. What sort of a gentleman would I be if I flirted with all the women?"

Shinichi rolled her eyes. "Either you'd be looking for a chance to take whatever jewel you're after, or pondering an addition to a growing jewelry collection? Arsene Lupin was very particular about the valuables he sought after, wasn't he?"

Kaito pretended to mull over these words. "You're correct about that, and I'm no less particular than him. Kaitou KID truly chases none but the finest jewels, even though he may pay other beautiful gems a passing glance." He hoped to Heaven that Shinichi picked up his subtle hints. Even though she could pick up on the tiniest details in a murder investigation, she was also famous for being oblivious to the most blatant of flirting.

"Good luck with that. I'd pity the girl who'll wind up in your jewelry box." Kaito almost fell face-first on the floor, though it took all of his willpower to do so. Dear Lord, did his Shin-chan's brilliant mind have such a thick casing?

"Shin-chaaannnn~! Why do you hurt me so? Is it so difficult to believe that this Magician under the Moonlight might actually have his eyes set on a certain jewel?"

"Is it so difficult to believe that there is someone who attracts death wherever she goes?" Shinichi shot back with a small, sardonic smirk. Kaito blinked.

"Well, after hanging around you for so long, I can believe your unfortunate love affair with death. So, shouldn't you be believing me too when I say that there is a girl who managed to steal the heart of the Kaitou KID?"

"Even when it could also be a tactic to inflate that ego of yours higher than it

should be?" Shinichi almost laughed at the perplexed expression on Kaito's face, even when she felt a small jab in her heart when she heard those words. So...Kaito loved someone already? That was a hard pill to swallow, but there was no point in mulling over it. After all, even though Irene Adler was the only woman that Sherlock Holmes ever loved, she could never be truly his.

Was it the same for Kudo Shinichi? To love someone who was out of their league?

As Shinichi remained lost in these melancholy thoughts, her male companion was trying to think about how to make the great sleuth realize what he was trying to say. Honestly, she gave a whole new meaning to the term 'oblivious' (A tiny voice at the back of his head reminded him that he hadn't realised that Shinichi loved him either. The voice was duly ignored in favor of wrestling with little grey cells on how to solve the current crisis). Eventually, he decided to just bite the bullet; subtle hints were not going to work, so Kaito needed to give even bigger clues to the silly detective. And what better way to get his point across then applying a classic method? Planting a meaningful but simple kiss on her lips with no warning whatsoever.

And he did just that.

The Phantom Thief watched her eyes widen and face blossom to the shade of a ripe strawberry, though he did not relinquish his gentle hold on the detective. He needed Shinichi to know how he truly felt about her, and that she wasn't alone anymore. He was right here, by her side, as he should be. Even if he had been captured by the Organization, crippled beyond belief... he'd still find a way back to the detective.

When Shinichi did not respond to the kiss at all, Kaito began to worry. It had been a full five seconds, and she still sat there on the futon, motionless like a statue.

Did that mean… when she said that she will cherish him to the end of her days… was it just as a friend? Melancholy and self-depreciation began to corrupt his mind, fuelling him with an anxiety he hadn't felt since his father died. But just when he was about to pull away, Kaito felt a small palm coil around the base of his neck, shyly beckoning him to come closer.

And who was he to deny her?

Kaito leaned in closer, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. He was running solely on instinct, because all coherent thought had left his mind. Little did he know, Shinichi was in the same boat. The poor detective had been unable to comprehend as to why Kaitou KID, no, Kuroba Kaito, was kissing her out of the blue like this. Did he...feel the same way that she did for him? A person she adored, not just as an intellectual equal, but someone she could rely on even in her darkest hours?

If that was true, then...perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to stay like this a little longer. It was only a matter of time before the Organization discovered Pandora's true whereabouts and sent their men in black to reclaim it. And there was no doubt in Shinichi's mind that they would even threaten the people that she and Kaito both cared about to claim immortality for themselves.

When they finally pulled away to inhale some much needed oxygen, they could only stare at each other, with identically flushed faces and heaving lungs.

"So...what happens from here, Kuroba-kun? We know each other's secrets, there's still a criminal syndicate who will stop at nothing to restore Pandora's Box, and on top of it all, I have it in my possession and it's supposed to be appraised by an antique dealer in less than two weeks. What are the chances that this Ishikawa guy works for the men in black?"

Kaito's brow furrowed in thought, as he ran through all the information. "Shinichi, I'm not going to pretend that I already have everything planned, because I don't. However, that is a valid point you're raising, about Ishikawa. I guess I could run a background check on him, see if I can find any links."

Shinichi nodded. "That'd be helpful. Natsuo-san was...I had hoped that he'd tell me that Snake had been involved in Seimei-san's murder. The picture I showed him during the interrogation was taken from an angle, so I could only see part of his face but it's not enough for a facial recognition software, or even convince the court that it's solid evidence. The defense would've probably mentioned that the accomplice could have been anyone. If we had a solid testimony from about an accomplice that matched Snake's physical description, then at least the public and law enforcement would be aware that he's on the streets."

Kaito hummed in agreement, indigo orbs narrowing in contemplation. "So, right now, we're still at square one. No one's any the wiser about Snake or the Organisation, and they now have you as a possible target. The only way to finish this is to find and destroy Pandora before they get to it. I wish I could say that I knew where Pandora is, but I'm still working that out."

"...Kuroba-kun, I don't think you heard me when I said that I have it. Pandora is in my possession. At my apartment." Shinichi said.

Eh?

Eh?

"EHH?!"

Kaito blinked at her owlishly. And then he proceeded to blink some more before almost shouting at the top of his lungs, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU HAVE PANDORA?!"

It took all the self-control within the Detective of the East to not slap the dark-haired male upside the head, or something equally effective that would shut him up. "Exactly as I said it. Remember when I went to the writers' convention over summer vacation?" When she saw him nod dumbly, Shinichi continued.

"Well, when I went back to my house, there was a secret passage in the library, and there was a large box with a letter attached to it. The initials on it were 'KT'. And from what you've told me, your father was the original Kaitou KID, correct? If that's the case, then he must've found Pandora at some point and decided to give it to my dad for safekeeping." Shinichi then laced both of her hands together, wearing a pondering expression as she recalled all of the details on this mystical gem. "From there, and with Haibara's help, I pieced everything together. But...the only thing I didn't take into account was that you were the Kaitou KID. Or that your father was the predecessor of such an infamous legacy."

Kaito continued to stare at her, gobsmacked, for a few moments, before leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Shin-chan, have I ever mentioned how much I love you and that brain of yours?" He missed the way her cheeks flushed a deep red as he rambled on. "You just solved half of my problems in one fell swoop!"

"If it were only that simple. There aren't indentations or keyholes on the box so I can't open it. That's part of the reason why I agreed to meet Ishikawa. If I'm right, then the Organization might already have the key to open the container and...perhaps even the machine itself." The sleuth felt a small shudder crawl down her spine at the horrendous thought. "And if that's true, then we have a bigger problem to tackle within a very small time frame."

Kaito put an arm around the girl's shoulders, comfortingly rubbing her arm. "This is us. The Kaitou KID and the KID Killer, working together. We can handle anything they throw at us. I'll take a look at the box and go over all of my father's things to see if he left any kind of a clue about it. And if there's nothing, then we can still work it out. After all, I trust that mind of yours."

Shinichi smiled weakly at his words and nodded. "Yeah. Come over to my place tomorrow and I'll show it to you. If Aoko-chan or Hakuba ask, just say we're studying for exams. Do you think Jii-san can run a background check on Ishikawa in the meantime and see if anything comes up? Just to be safe, we might need to expand the search on any auction houses or antique shops that are leased under his name, maybe who he's worked with. The Organization might be using Snake and his men to steal Big Gems during the night, but that doesn't mean that they're also searching for Pandora through legal businesses in broad daylight."

"...Should I say again how much I adore your beautiful mind, Shin-chan? We're practically made for each other~!"

"Shut up."

Kaito grinned widely at her. "I would say 'make me', but then this conversation wouldn't be going anywhere."

Shinichi scowled at the messy-haired magician. "You can blame the writers for letting it expand as much as it has another time. Right now, we need have a mystery to solve and not a lot of time."

"Aw, does that mean that the chapter is going to end here?" Kaito pouted.

"The readers cannot take any more of your horrible attempts at flirting."

"B-But Shin-chan~!"

"Hush."

* * *

 **Well, the cat's out of the bag with a break in the fourth wall for this highly-anticipated chapter of** _Paper Faces_ **! Will Kaito and Shinichi be able to figure out the secrets of Pandora as well keep the Organization off of their trail until the fateful meeting of Ishikawa? Or is there more going on here than meets the eye? Decisions, decisions :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	21. Chapter Twenty

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

I would to profusely thank **OnyxKatana** , **J0kersGirl** , and **Momochan77** for their ideas and support that have created the twentieth segment of _Paper Faces_ , especially since I'm now enrolled in a six-month pharmacy technician program through the local university. Nonetheless, I will continue this story until the final act is set upon the stage. And so without further do, let the intermission close and the chapter commence! :)

* * *

True to his word, Kaito came over to Clyro Villa the next morning to examine the spherical container that was in Shinichi's care. The design and locking mechanisms of it were not as unusual to the gentleman thief as it was to the detective. Furthermore, he had spent most of his time researching peculiar gemstones than an on-off affair with misfortune and death.

After spending two to three hours tinkering with the container, Kaito's enthusiasm in cracking the seemingly impenetrable vessel of Pandora increased tenfold. The mastermind behind the creation of this box definitely did not want anyone to steal their precious cargo. However, there was no lock or safe in the entire world that had outwitted the Kaitou KID. Personally, he'd like to keep that particular criminal record as pristine as possible until it was time for the Phantom Thief to permanently leave the world's stage.

Shin-chan herself was a little disheartened that her wonderful boyfriend couldn't solve the secrets behind the mystery container, but with a few pecks on both the cheek and mouth, she was back to her old self in a matter of seconds! Though by that, it meant that Kaito had to skillfully dodge a well-aimed soccer ball on the way out of Number 223.

Still, seeing that adorable expression on Shin-chan's bright red face was worth it~!

As much as Kaito enjoyed teasing the dark-haired sleuth like that, more questions buzzed inside his mind when his sneaker-clad feet brought him back to the front gate of the Kuroba household. If his old man really did find Pandora all of those years ago and gave it to Shin-chan's father for safekeeping, there had to be some papers that the first Kaitou KID kept on the priceless artifact.

 _Besides, it couldn't have sheer luck that Dad's heist target just so happened to be a gem that supposedly gives immortality on the night of a full moon. He had to have done some research on it._ Indigo orbs widened ever so slightly at the passing thought before his hand hovered over his pants pocket, just for a split second, until his Poker Face returned. Prior to his departure from Clyro Villa, the Detective of the East gave him a yellowed envelope with the initials 'KT' neatly written on the front.

After she had deduced the identity of the sender thanks to the information she received from her father, Shinichi had planned on bequeathing the package to Kaito even without knowing the truth behind his family legacy. Furthermore, as a self-taught detective she had no right to go through any items that belonged to the deceased unless there was a search warrant as well as consent from the victim's family. That was just how his Shin-chan was.

Shaking his head, Kaito unlocked the front door and slipped off his shoes at the entrance, announcing his return to the homestead even when there was no one to greet him. The teen prankster went upstairs to the second room on the right, making sure to close the door behind him before activating the hidden mechanism behind a framed poster of his father. The sound of creaking gears echoed across the empty house for several minutes until there was a gap in the wall right next to the poster. Kaito quickly stepped inside the secret room and flipped on the lights just as the only entrance to his bedroom disappeared into darkness. Inhaling a deep breath, he immediately got started.

Fortunately for the young man, everything was organized just enough to manuever around the area without unintentionally making a big mess. He commenced his search for clues by going through the vinyl records in the jukebox. In the beginning of his night life as KID, they served as daily lessons on how to be a true magician, teachings that his father was unable to pass onto Kaito due to his murder ten years ago. But what were the chances that these sermons actually contained a secret message about Pandora? Kuroba Toichi was, and is still, the greatest magician in the world.

Anything was possible.

Therefore, Kaito played and listened each record carefully for anything he could have overlooked the first time he heard his father's voice. However, there was nothing to be discovered, prompting the teen to carry on his investigation in another area of the secret room. Time slowly passed and by the time he was flipping through a book in the cluttered bookshelf, Kaito was ready to call it a night. Most of its contents were detailed references on the construction and preparation of various "tricks" to be used for heists, some of which the current Phantom Thief still looked at from time to time.

 _What could I be overlooking?_ Kaito thought. _We need to find out how to unlock that container or else those men in black will figure it out first and….wait a minute. That's weird._ He rubbed a calloused thumb against the high-quality paper again. _Why would a page from this small book feel heavier than the other pages?_ He moved it backwards and then forward, a contemplative frown stretching across his face. _Is there...something hidden here?_

Practically running to a nearby work table, the teen pulled out a toolbox from seemingly out of nowhere. Once he selected a razor-sharp knife, Kaito carefully sliced the top of the page, making sure to not unintentionally damage the sheet or its secret contents.

After almost seven agonizing minutes, the deed was done and the magician retrieved a small slip of parchment, roughly the size of his index finger.

" _The Art of Deception_?" Kaito read out loud. It was one of the more dustier tomes that sat on the highest shelf, though one the magician had read almost two hours ago. However if his old man had hidden a message like the one in his hand….could he have overlooked whatever was supposed to be hidden in that book? The young man immediately searched for the aforementioned item and, sure enough, found another piece of paper. However, this time it had numbers, symbols, and letters mixed together.

"A code of some kind? Or...is it a computer code?" He tried the former by using every possible coding system that had existed in ancient and modern history but no results had come forth. When Kaito punched them in his laptop, which he used in the secret room from time to time in case Ahouko snooped around the house when he wasn't around, he got a hit. It was a password to an encrypted file that his mother had installed inside the computer three years ago, right around the time she gave it to him for his birthday and before he took up the mantle as Kaitou KID.

There were two documents on it. The first was titled AN UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP, and the second called WHITE OF CRIME. Kaito shook his head in disbelief at the headings. The Phantom Lady was about as enigmatic as she was before retiring from the spotlight. Shaking his head, he double-clicked on the first document. When the contents finished uploading, indigo orbs grew to the size of dinner plates.

"A...thesis on the friendship between Henry Houdini and Sir Conan Doyle?" He whispered. "And it was written by my dad?" He skimmed through it. "I'd never thought he'd have the time to do something like this, especially when he was the Phantom Thief. It's...well thought out and straight to the point. But why would there be one or two letters in a sentence be capitalized? Wait a minute," He maximized the zooming feature on the laptop and muttered the first word that was conjured by the first five words in the document. "K...A...I...T...O?"

Kaito kept reading the file, and came across three more words:

 _DespIte the remarkably diFferent viewpoints on the supernatural, DoYle was delighted tO find companionship in HoUdini, crossing paths with the rising magician As early as 1920. FuRthErmore, there was..._

"IF...YOU...ARE?"

Suddenly realizing the method behind the madness, the local prankster pulled out another a piece of paper and jotted it down. The process of decoding the entire file took about ten to twenty minutes. Kaito could only stare at the sheet in shock. What was hidden inside the thesis were instructions. To be more precise, a mathematical formula to remove the false bottom on the container and a word of caution:

 _If there is even the slightest adjustment, accidental or intentional, from the proper way to unlock the spherical item as it is written down, you could possibly lose more than a finger._

Shuddering at the thought, Kaito quickly exited the document and erased the laptop's current activities with an extra amount of firewalls around the file. Just when the magician was about to turn off the laptop, dark blue orbs caught the glaring WHITE OF CRIME file. The teen frowned. It was already getting pretty late...but reading another file wouldn't throw off his biological alarm clock...should it? Inhaling a deep breath, Kaito brought the cursor over the document and opened it. Words immediately popped up.

 **Please read the message that the Night Baron has given to you - KT**

"Night Baron? Is he...referring to Kudo Yuusaku? That is his literary character and pseudo code name, but how am I supposed to get in contact without endangering him or Shin-chan's mother? Or...is he…" Kaito then placed a hand over his pants pocket. "Is he...talking about this...letter?"

Pulling it out, he quickly opened the envelope and removed the sheet of paper from it. He found himself faced with a page full of random, jumbled text. Letters that seemed to be randomly thrown together. Another code.

"Dad, you really went all out on this, didn't you?" Kaito glanced upwards, feeling a headache building up at his temples. Time to get to code-breaking. He quickly scanned the sheet, running it through the usual simple ciphers, but he got no results. He tried shuffling the letters around but no combination made any sense. From the looks of the letter, it seemed to be a simple substitution cipher. Right when Kaito had run out of ideas, he noticed a single line of text at the back of the sheet.

 **Being a magician, I have many secrets, and only one means of hiding them. My son, remember my words, and never forget.**

"Dad… you really are a genius." Kaito let out a long breath. Everything suddenly fit together, and he couldn't help but wonder if his father had been training him all along for this.

Suddenly Kaito was pulled back to his childhood days when his father had been teaching him magic tricks. Among them, his father taught him a few simple codes and ciphers. Kaito had been amazed by how seemingly nonsensical words could reveal hidden messages. His personal favorite had been the _Vigenère_ cipher, a code where the message was coded using a password. Without the password, it was extremely difficult to break the code because there was no such pattern that could be traced. The best part was that it looked exactly like a simple substitution at first glance.

Kaito had a gut feeling that his father had used that very same cipher to encrypt the letter. He had cleverly hidden the password in the sentences on the back of the sheet, disguising the password within what seemed like a last message from father to son. It was cleverly coded, so that only Kaito would know. And if Kaito's hunch was correct, then the password was derived from what could be considered as Toichi's catchphrase.

POKER FACE. A fitting password indeed.

Quickly using it to decrypt the document, Kaito felt a grin bloom on his face as the jumble of letters fell together to create his father's message to him.

Then again, it was almost to be expected from the world's greatest magician who ever lived, to go such lengths in the art of deception. Now, the mantle and responsibility to bring down the Organization now rested on his shoulders. Though this time, he had Sherlock Holmes on his side to even the staggering odds against him.

In the secret room where a full moon was absent, Kuroba Kaito and Kaitou KID swore to end everything as well as protect Kudo Shinichi, and everyone else dear to him, with his dying breath.

xPFx

Shinichi and Kaito had been spending almost all their time in each other's company. The class had been brimming with gossip about what they could be doing, and had steady betting going on about the pair. However, so far, no one had placed their money on "trying to open a box that could contain the key to destroying an entire crime syndicate". That was exactly what the two teens had spent the major part of the week doing.

It was Thursday, and Shinichi was camped out in her room, looking over all her information on Pandora and the Organization to see if any other connection would reveal itself to her. Next to her, Kaito lay sprawled out, with his eyes closed and brow furrowed in deep thought. Shinichi's thoughts soon wandered to the messy-haired magician. The poor boy had been working himself to the bone in trying to open the box. It had taken both of their mental faculties and an awful lot of time with almost no progress.

It was during her musing that the teen sleuth realised something surprising. The two of them had been forced on dates with one another and even ended up getting together officially but they never had a real date as a couple. A smirk crept onto her face. That was it. She was going to take Kaito out on a date, no matter what he had to say on the topic.

It was with no small effort on her part that the detective was able to convince her magician boyfriend to go along with her plan for a surprise date. She had persuaded and cajoled him into letting her tug him along to wherever she wanted to. It had taken little prodding on the sleuth's part to sway Kaito to "please leave that infernal gem and its mysteries alone for a while." After all, neither of them knew when the Organization would make another move to find their target or an attempt to assassinate the Kaitou KID. However, Kaito kept begging her to let him know where they were going.

"Awh, Shin-chaaannn~! Where are we going? Just a tiny hint." Shinichi almost smiled at the adorable pout on Kaito's face as she pulled them down the street. Not that she would ever say it out loud, of course.

"No need to get impatient Kuroba-kun, we're almost there." And it was true. The two of them were about several minutes away from the new ramen stand that opened up the previous week. The Detective of the East had heard from a reliable source of information that Kaito had been wanting to try it, but hadn't found any free time to go there. He had been trading almost every window to relax for the research and development of their investigation. So what better way to thank him than a piping hot bowl of delicious noodles?

Though on top of that, Shinichi also had another surprise for the magician in the form of a piece of paper inside her purse. Earlier that week, she had gotten a phone call from Nakamura Publishing and had been informed that _The Witch's Banquet_ was just about ready to hit the bookshelves as soon as next week. Not only was she getting an advanced copy of her book but they had also finished the changes to the dedication page she had requested at the last minute. In retrospect, Shinichi had dedicated her first novel to her parents and Professor Agasa for their support in her endeavors.

Now, the sleuth thanked her family, the eccentric scientist, and a "dear friend who had been there when she needed someone the most". If Shinichi directly stated "lover" or used another term to imply that she was in a romantic relationship, a certain retired actress would take a hold of that notion and pester Shinichi for grandchildren.

Shaking her head at the thought, the young woman resumed her focus on the main street and crossed to the other side of the venue with a pouting magician still in tow. Once the salty scent of cooked pasta tickled her nose, a small smirk stretched across Shinichi's face.

"We're here~"

The detective craned her head back towards Kaito, feeling her mischievous expression widen at the sight of his shell-shocked one. "Let's head inside. I heard it gets pretty hectic around dinner hours. But if we hurry, we can still get a discount for two large bowls of any ramen flavor that we want."

Those words seemed to pull her boyfriend out of his trance. "Shin-chan, you didn't have to do this - "

"Kuroba-kun, I wanted to do this."

"But-" Kaito tried to protest but he was soon silenced with a slender finger pressed against his mouth, which was then followed by a stern expression from Shinichi. "Nope, I'm not hearing it. I know you've been wanting to come here for a while and with everything that's happened, you deserve this. _We_ deserve this. So tonight, let's go all out and relax. Okay?"

The local prankster pouted at her words, his expression rather cute in Shinichi's opinion, before he eventually surrendered. "Alright fine. We'll go in."

The sleuth hummed approvingly and continued the trek towards their destination. Once inside, they were heartily welcomed by a young man whom could not have been much older than them and were instructed to take a seat anywhere. The self-taught detective decided to take her boyfriend to a booth.

"This way we'll have privacy," she explained when they sat. Soon their drink orders were taken and both teens silently perused the menu. Shinichi looked thoughtful while Kaito seemed to still be miffed at being manipulated.

"Everything on the menu looks really good. Don't you think so Kuroba-kun?" The Detective of the East asked as she gazed at the dark-haired male sitting across from her.

When she saw the expression on Kaito's face, the sleuth raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. "You're 'not' that upset about...all of this, are you?" She felt her heart sink a little at the thought. Deep down Shinichi knew there were secrets about Pandora that still needed to be solved. There was only more one week before her appointment with the antique dealer Ishikawa.

But...was it so wrong to at least give them a few hours to step away and just breathe?

Kaito looked up from his menu and as soon as he saw that sorrowful expression on Shinichi's face, he tried to reassure her. "What? No, no, it's not like that at all, Shin-chan! I mean...I'm surprised, definitely in a good way, since I'd never thought we'd come here with how busy we've been. It's just...I guess when it comes right down to it, I'm frustrated. You and I still have a lot of work with a deadline right around the corner. The fact that you and I haven't even been able to scratch just a tiny fraction beneath the surface...it bothers me. A lot. And I don't want our 'friends' to turn their anger for me onto you. The Rainbow Maiden incident was already a close call, you know?"

"And they won't Kuroba-kun. Three years ago, I was careless and let my guard down. Now, I'm more aware of what exactly those men in black are capable of doing." Shinichi reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "Furthermore, it's 'you' that I have to worry about." Just when the magician opened his mouth to argue, the young woman continued. "You might have had more run-ins with them than I ever have, but that doesn't omit the fact that they're prone to be more...trigger-happy at the mention of a certain gentleman in white."

That's when Kaito's face finally broke into a smile as he winked at her. "It's not my fault my amazing performances tend to draw such a rowdy crowd."

Shinichi rolled her eyes and almost threw a dry remark when a waitress came by to take their orders. The next half an hour was spent talking and laughing in between bites of house special ramen. Just when the pair finished up by splitting the bill, although Kaito had wanted to pay for it himself, Shinichi then remembered Kaito's second surprise.

The coffee-haired high schooler rolled her eyes and almost threw a dry remark when a waitress came by to take their orders. The next half an hour was spent talking and laughing in between bites of house special ramen. Just when the pair finished up by splitting the bill, although Kaito had wanted to pay for it himself, Shinichi then remembered his second surprise.

The copy of her book's dedication page.

Even though she was nervous about showing it to the magician, at the same Shinichi was excited. _The Witch's Banquet_ meant a lot to her and she wanted to her appreciation for Kaito's support in its development. She just hoped he felt the same.

"Kuroba-kun, there's something I'd like to -"

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Shinichi was not able to finish her sentence because as soon as her hand rested on the tiny purse, multiple gunshots echoed across the ramen stand. What followed afterwards was a symphony of shattered glass, high-pitched screaming, and a sudden warm feeling in both of her shoulders before the detective's vision became clouded with darkness.

* * *

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	22. Chapter Twenty One

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

I would to profusely thank **OnyxKatana** and **Momochan77** for their ideas and support that have penned the twenty-first act of _Paper Faces._ And so without further do, let the intermission close and the chapter commence for our audience! :) For the readers who are enrolled for the fall semester, I wish you the best of luck in your studies!

* * *

The last conversation Hashimoto Yusuke had with his superior ended on an ominous note: bring results on Pandora or there would be dire consequences for incompetence. In addition, the Organization must only keep an eye on Kudo Shinichi and nothing further. However, the situation concerning the murder with Kusanagi Seimei would almost certainly cement the fate of the Organization's second-in-command. The portly man could only pray to the gods as the encrypted video feed on his laptop started to connect, then download to reveal the shadowed face of the Maestro.

"Report."

Black-hearted and straight to the point as always, their countenance never changing unless something or someone truly angered them. Swallowing the lump in his throat Yusuke spoke, his quivering voice bouncing off of the walls in his empty office.

"A-Almost two weeks ago, one of my men in Tokyo contacted me with a startling proclamation that he has found Pandora. Or at the very least, a lead on its whereabouts," Double-clicking on a file near his mouse, Yusuke sent a duplicate of it to the Boss through another, separate encrypted link in their online connection. "Here is the picture he has sent me. It's an antique that belongs to a mutual friend of the Suzuki conglomerate. This...'friend' claims that it cannot be pried open; there is neither a latch or keyhole, and as you can see, circular in shape. From the notes we had gathered, it greatly resembles the container that holds Pandora. The person who contacted me, Ishikawa Mamoru, will be meeting this client to confirm its authenticity in less than a week."

A heavy silence fell upon the two most important individuals in the Organization, and after what seemed to like an eternity, was broken by a low hum from the laptop. "It appears...that you have almost redeemed yourself Hashimoto, hadn't Snake allowed himself to become careless with the disposal of Kusanagi Seimei. He is under your command after all."

"Y-Yes I understand Maestro, and I have disciplined him -"

"Taking his firearm and keeping him busy in your compound with paperwork for almost two weeks is not discipline. It is a slap on the wrist!" The Boss snapped, glaring coldly at their second-in-command. "And I have the feeling that you have more to tell me. Be out with it or so help me -"

"Kudo Shinichi has been shot and is in critical condition!"

"...What?"

"I-It all happened so fast. One moment I've finalized the backup plans for Ishikawa-kun's meeting, and the next I receive a report from one of the scouts that the person of interest has been harmed!" Hashimoto blubbered. "I-I had just gotten off of the phone with Rat before our scheduled meeting, and this is what he's told me: the newest recruit, Boar, was making his usual rounds around the city when he saw Kudo Shinichi walking down the street to a ramen shop. T-Then he decided to go ahead and shoot her!"

"And what, pray tell, was his reason to endanger our operations even further?!" The Boss nearly roared over the comms system. Their second-in-command flinched and meekly responded. "H-He was apparently bored of the menial tasks that are essential to his training in our Organization, and wanted to shoot something so he wouldn't get rusty. 'So what better target than a detective who could possibly destroy us?' T-Those are his direct words, not mine, Maestro!"

On the other side, the man called the Maestro slowly exhaled, his entire body trembling with barely suppressed rage. "You mean to tell me, that the only kind of men that I seem to find in this organization are sloppy, reckless, trigger-happy idiots?!" His voice shook dangerously. "This could mean the end of all our plans if anything goes wrong! Kudo Shinichi, while she may be a thorn in our side, cannot be murdered at this critical juncture. Pandora is our top priority! We cannot afford to miss the Volley Comet when we are hunted down by the entire Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for the attempted murder of one of their own men!"

The leader glared at Hashimoto, making absolutely certain just how displeased he was with his second-in-command. "All of the fools that are in your jurisdiction, is there one whose medical skills are acceptable? Enough to slip pass security and make doubly sure that Kudo Shinichi will survive without standing out too much?"

Hashimoto gaped. "M-Maestro you cannot possibly mean-"

"No, I certainly do. Find a competent person who can pass for medical personnel and get him on the hospital she is being treated. Right now. And one last thing… If the girl dies, you won't be alive for much longer." That was all the Boss said before cutting off the communication link. Hashimoto slumped in his seat. How could things have possibly gotten so out of hand within a matter of hours?

Swallowing the lump lodged in his throat, the second-in-command of the Organization picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number he hadn't called in a very long time. It rang twice before a disembodied voice answered it.

"Who's on the table tonight?"

"A person of interest, shot and in critical condition. Your orders are to examine and treat them without being seen. These are direct orders from the Maestro, Dog. Prepare the tools you need for the job. I will call you back in ten minutes with more information on the target's whereabouts and an ID to allow you access in the hospital they are located at. Understood?"

A grunt on the other end was all the confirmation he received before hearing the telltale click, signalling that the other person had hung up. Hashimoto put down the phone and rubbed his eyes. It seemed that the only thing left to do was pray that the teenage nuisance survived.

xPFx

For the first time since his father had passed away, Kaito was at a loss for both words and actions. The symphony of low muttering, feet tapping against tile flooring as well as doors opening or closing were unconsciously blocked out by the speechless magician. It had been over an hour since Shinichi was wheeled inside the OR, and he hadn't heard anything else since he'd been informed that the bullet missed any vital areas but had caused enough damage to still be consider Shin-chan's situation critical by medical standards.

And that epiphany made him feel even more restless in his uncomfortable chair.

Was Shin-chan all right? Did something happen that no one expected? Hundreds of scenarios ran across indigo orbs, each worse than the last flittered through his mind. Kaito fought to banish the image of his dear detective, bloody and broken as she inhaled her last breath in his arms. Please just give him, anything to let him know that -

"Excuse me, are you Kudo-san's family?"

Kaito turned his head towards the double doors of the OR and saw a nurse standing near him, a concerned frown smeared across her pretty face. He immediately stood up. "I'm her boyfriend. How is she? Did she pull through the surgery?"

The nurse, whose name was Kaede according to the silver tage pinned against the left side of her uniform, nodded. "She's stable for now, but we can't be certain until tomorrow morning. We'd like to have her stay here for a couple of days, just to make sure there isn't a relapse."

The magician released the breath he had been holding and staggered back into his chair, almost slumping against the hard plastic, all the while smiling sheepishly, even hopefully, at the nurse. "Is there any chance I could...possibly see her? I know she's in critical condition...but I'd like to at least let her know that someone is here for her."

The frown on Kaede's face immediately turned upside down to a fond grin. "I don't see why not. You must have been really worried about her this whole time. Come with me."

Almost glowing with happiness, Kaito followed the nurse to Room 14 and nearly went weak in the knees at the sight before his eyes. Lying motionlessly in a cot was Shin-chan, an oxygen mask over her face and in a deep sleep, most likely from the medication given to her. The messy-haired teen thanked Kaede again for everything, whom brushed it off with a all-knowing smile and reminded him about the hospital's' visiting hours before she excused herself to tend other patients.

Once alone, Kaito grabbed a chair near the door and placed it near Shinchi's bedside. Against his better judgement, he smiled a little at his sleeping sleuth.

"Shin-chan...you have me quite a scare today."

He murmured softly as he reached forward to cradle her hand in his own, careful of the wires she was plugged into. Until recently, he'd never really thought about how small or pale his detective appeared under the dim, fluorescent light above her bed.

Kaito released a low growl as the grotesque memories from tonight's incident entered his mind again. _Calm down Kaito, remember your Poker Face. Shin-chan is here. She's_ **not** _going anywhere._ He inhaled a deep breath, gripping her hand firmly.

"Now all I need is for you to get better. Can't put on a show without my number one fan in the audience."

Somehow, Kaito expected his detective to regain consciousness and say that she wouldn't miss his 'performance' for anything else in the world with that insufferable smirk on her face. However, the only sound that resonated in the room was the constant beeping of the machines attached to Shinichi's body. It hurt, both mentally and physically, to see her like this.

His Shin-chan should be by his side with that insufferable smirk on her face, not dancing between lie and death in a hospital. "You...you can't just stay here and sleep all day. You're a brilliant detective. And soon you're going to be an even more amazing writer. You've got too much to do in this world before kicking the bucket. Isn't that right, Shin-chan?" Kaito trailed off, his voice soft and even...scared. He was terrified that if he left this place, he might never see his sleuth again. Even though it was good news that Shinichi was currently stable after her surgery, the magician did not know if the Organization was directly involved on the attempted assassination, or worse, track Shinichi here to finish the job once they hear that she is still alive.

But if the latter possibility were true, why would the assailant try to kill Shinichi when the meeting with Ishikawa was less than a week away? Without Shinichi, the Organization would lose their only chance to get their hands on Pandora, both legally and in broad daylight.

It didn't make any sense.

He tightened his hand around Shinichi's even more. If they had done this...he wasn't going to let them get away with it. This was a new low, even for the Organisation. First, they killed his father, and now had made an assassination attempt on Shin-chan's life. If these...animals thought endangering and hurting the people close to him was the only method to relent his pursuit of Pandora, they couldn't be more wrong.

Forget about being hurt - Kait was incensed, royally and inevitably _pissed_.

The magician suddenly felt a deep, gnawing sensation tickle in his chest. He knew immediately recognized it as anger. Regardless of who the actual culprit was, these barbarians were going to pay. He could feel the turbulent emotion engulfing him, worsening with every feeble breath he saw Shinichi take. When he heard a very low and almost inaudible groan, Kaito looked down to see his detective's face contorted slightly in pain. Worried and confused, he averted his gaze to their hands to see that the grip on her hand had tightened to the point it was hurting Shin-chan. Shocked at what he just did, Kaito immediately loosened his fingers around the small wrist and raised it carefully in the air, placing an apologetic kiss upon it.

"I'm sorry, Shin-chan. I didn't mean to hurt you like this. Just...please wake up soon, all right? I'll come back to see you first thing tomorrow after school. I'll even bring notes from class so you're not behind in your studies. Okay? Sleep well, and sweet dreams."

Kaito stayed for a few more minutes before reluctantly he lifted himself up from the chair. He had to make sure her parents were contacted and informed about the situation. Plus he had to go to school like he promised. Though he knew that soon as he did those notes for Shinichi, he'd start looking for the shooter. Just when his feet were about to leave the room, he lingered at the door, just watching the coffee-haired girl sleep. If he blocked the plethora of machines that she was hooked up to, it almost seemed like Shin-chan was just resting from a very long day.

The magician took a deep breath and willed his body to leave the OR. The Organization was playing a dangerous game, and the stakes had just been upped when they had decided to take Shinichi's life.

He would see this situation to the end, no matter what it took to bring the Organization to their knees. He owed that much to the girl who had turned his entire world upside now, for the great Kaitou KID, this battle for immortality had just become more personal than ever before.

xPFx

" _Your two o'clock appointment is here fifteen minutes early, Ishikawa-san. Shall I let her come to the office or have her wait in the lobby?_ "

The twenty-something man sitting behind a dark oak desk nearly the grip he had on his paperwork. "Kudo Shinichi...is here?" He repeated, receiving a hum of confirmation from his secretary slash receptionist. On the surface, civilians it may seem that being an appraisal expert might be an interesting and well-paying job, to examine priceless artifacts for their customers. However, those assumptions could not be any further from the truth; half of the time, clients that called him had items that weren't even worth examining. Furthermore, he invested more of his time doing research on Big Gems as well other menial tasks for Hashimoto-sama and the Maestro.

It was the least Ishikawa could do for the men who had given him everything. And all they asked for these 'gifts' were loyalty and competence. Was it really so hard for Hashimoto-sama to do these things? Apparently so, especially in light of last week's unfortunate...incident. Shaking his head at the thought of his superior's incompetence, Ishikawa cleared his throat.

"That's perfectly fine, Aoyagi-san. Please send her in and help the client as needed."

" _Of course, sir_."

That was the other male on the line said before it was disconnected. Ishikawa placed the phone back in its place on the desk and waited. When the door knocked twice, the antique dealer permitted entrance into his domain.

The door opened, and a figure clumsily entered. Their movements were stiff and blocky, on account of the crutches and the bandages visible on their limbs. She was around average height and skinny with long dark hair. The most recognisable feature were those blue eyes staring right back at him. Though even without these hints, the face was one that had been splashed across half of the newspaper syndicates across the great archipelago of Japan. This young lady was, without a doubt, Kudo Shinichi. Standing right behind her was Aoyagi-san, courteously carrying a circular-shaped parcel carefully concealed in a bone-white cloth.

Ishikawa felt his heart stop. This was it. The moment he and the Organization had been anticipating for a very long time.

"Ishikawa-san?"

Brought out of his reverie by the husky tenor of Aoyagi-san's voice, Ishikawa composed himself and nodded. "Thank you, Aoyagi-san. Please place the client's item of interest on my desk so that I can closely examine it. You don't mind, do you Kudo-san?"

The sleuth looked at her priceless antique and then back at Ishikawa before she shrugged. "Not at all. If your secretary could pull up a chair for me, we could get started with the appraisal right now." Ishikawa resisted the urge to smile like a fool as he watched Aoyagi-san faithfully carry out the client's request.

"Thank you, Aoyagi-san. I'll ring in a little while for some refreshments." The ebony-haired secretary bowed and left the room, closing the only entrance as well as exit from the office.

"Shall we begin the appraisal, Kudo-san?"

For a split moment Ishikawa could have sworn those blue orbs sharpened like a knife, though soon banished the thought when a small smile stretched across her mouth. "Yes. I'm eager the tricks that have made you the most prominent antiquity in Japan, Ishikawa-san."

Ishikawa did not know why but the way his client was smiling innocently at him with an excitement akin to a child...it sent a chill down his spine.

* * *

 **After a long journey, we have finally arrived at the final stage of** _Paper Faces._ **The** **question now is: who will be the winner in this game? Will it be Ishikawa and the Organization? Or have Kaito and Shinichi come up with a fool-proof plan to take down their common enemy once and for all within such amount of time? Only the actors on this stage shall tell us :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

I would to profusely thank **OnyxKatana** for helping me with the twenty-second act of _Paper Faces._ It has been a long process with Hurricane Irma hitting my hometown pretty hard and trying to finish up pharmacy technician school, but the fruits of labor have finally paid off. So without further do, let the intermission close and the chapter commence for our audience! :)

* * *

Beneath the neutral but mildly excited expression of Ishikawa's client, Kaito observed the antique dealer with a critical eye. In his line of work as both a magician and KID, the teen had learned that there was more to a person than what they did for a living or even how they interacted in society. So far, this visit had undergone signing a few confidentiality agreements for Ishikawa, who was now carefully examining the spherical container with gloved hands.

Ishikawa seemed extremely interested in the item, and had barely spared 'Shinichi' a second glance since the object was handed over to him. One could assume that he was just that passionate about what he did, and entirely invested in his work, but Kaito knew better. After all, this was a man who was owned by the Organization through and through. All his interest in the antique was simply because there was even the slightest possibility that he was holding Pandora in his hands. The blood-red gem with an even redder history. And this was the closest that any member of the Organization had ever come to it.

Kaito knew he was playing a dangerous game here, and the stakes were very, very high. One wrong step and everything that he, his father and Shinichi had worked for could crash and burn in bullets. Due to the stretched out battle of wits between KID and the Organization, his enemies had gotten desperate and were prone to rash decisions, which seemed to have gotten worse since Shinichi's transfer to Ekoda High.

They would do anything, and absolutely anything, to get their hands on the treasure they desired so badly. The proof of such greed appeared when they tried to murder Shinichi, and the Organization had come pretty damn close to succeeding. His Shin-chan, the Detective of the East, who was their only link at Pandora.

But Kaito had enough of just examining his opponent's moves on the proverbial chessboard. This time, it was his move. The teen magician had made Shinichi promise to stay at home with Aoko and Hakuba. It was pretty easy to persuade them, considering the sleuth's condition. She was barely able to move without some assistance. Shinichi, on the other hand, was an entirely different story; she'd kicked up a fuss and kept saying that she had to go or else more people could get hurt. However, with a few well-structured arguments from her "other half", Kaito was able to convince Shinichi to remain at her apartment complex.

The plan was simple enough: while Shinichi recovered from her injuries, Kaito would meet Ishikawa as the raven-haired teen herself. The pair shared enough facial features for the deception to be believable, and it helped tremendously that Kaito was a master in the fine art of disguise. Coupled with the fact that he knew Shinichi like the back of his hand, Kaito could easily play her part. This little get-together with the antique dealer was more of a recon mission, collecting enough evidence to proof that Ishikawa really was an agent of the Organization. In return, the Organization would be convinced that Shinichi was alive and active.

What Kaito conveniently forgot to mention to Shinichi was that he'd done a little more poking and prodding, and he was as good as convinced that Ishikawa was in league with the Organization. Keeping that in mind, he had come sufficiently prepared, should things go south, as they were so prone to doing recently. Their current situation reminded him of the calm before the storm. And what a storm it would be.

For his part, Ishikawa had been analysing the case for a long time now. Finally, he put it down with a soft exhale, and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. "Well, Kudo-san, I must admit, you've brought me an intriguing item. Most intriguing."

'Shinichi' widened her eyes in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

Ishikawa sat down in front of 'Shinichi', resting his hands on the desk. Levelling a somber gaze, he responded to his client in a low, professional tone of voice. Kaito had to give him points for theatrics.

"This article here is exquisitely crafted, as you can very well see. However, what is so intriguing about it is the craftsman. I have very strong reasons to believe that this was created a little known inventor who had lived in darker days of early modern France. As you may or may not be aware, the French nobility had lived in decades of excessive decadence without ever having to pay taxes, leaving the financial strain on the lower classes and ultimately culminated to national unrest, and eventually, the French Revolution of 1789. Despite living in luxurious townhouses or even Versailles itself, there were a few aristocrats who were fiercely protective of their investments and possessions.

One aristocrat in particular wanted a priceless gem to be protected, a treasure he had brought back with him from Greece. Therefore, the inventor had been commissioned to create a failsafe for this jewel, and then vanished from history along with the gem until being it was sold at an auction in Germany in the early days of World War II. The buyer, as it turns out was a gentleman named Dietrich Fuchs," Ishikawa flipped through a file on his desk. "Not much is known about him. Records show that he'd served in the Schutzastaffel until Berlin fell in 1945 and died from a heart attack at 75."

The "detective" raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I never knew that this strange box had such a wealth of history behind it." However, Kaito was well aware of the container's history. In fact, he'd gone to the one other person who knew about Pandora: the cute, scary girl named Haibara.

The night he had left the hospital, Kaito called Shin-chan's parents with a heavy heart and inform them about what happen to their daughter. Even now, he couldn't figure out what was harder for the magician to do: inform the people responsible for bringing his beloved into the world on her condition, or make Haibara the third person to know the Kaitou KID's true identity.

But even when there was a silver gun was staring at him right in the face, Kaito stayed calm and explained everything he could to the little scientist with his Poker Face. He humbly asked for her help, knowing that it was because of Haibara that Kudo Shinichi had been able to return to her friends and family. Seeing his blatant honesty, Haibara had acquiesced and relayed whatever she knew about Pandora to Kaito. He was able to absorb everything like a sponge while performing mental cross references with what he already knew or suspected. In almost two hours, he had more than enough information about Pandora and its properties. Along with Haibara's own input on the crows she'd worked with in the past, Kaito was able to build a foolproof plan to bring down his enemies once and for all.

Kaito had the container, but he had no idea how to open it. There was a strong possibility that the Organization knew how to open the spherical object, though they needed to gets their hands on it to unlock its secrets. From Haibara's notes, the Organization may also be in possession of the Box; in order to make the machine work again and produce Pandora's Tears, they needed one more key. The jewel itself, which was right in Ishikawa's slimy grasp.

It was a huge risk, but Kaito needed the Organisation to open the item that contained Pandora. That was why the teen prankster had gone through the elaborate ruse with impersonating Shinichi and meeting up with Ishikawa. Speaking of which, Kaito could sense that the antique dealer was extremely jumpy. He was either highly excited, or nervous, maybe even a bit of both. It seemed like he knew more about Pandora than he was letting on. Even now, he was almost trembling when he spoke to his client.

"This box is more precious than you can imagine, Kudo-san. From the weight of it, and considering its material, I have a strong suspicion that something is contained inside it. Perhaps some long-forgotten treasure from the French Revolution itself?"

"Why, Ishikawa-san, surely you don't mean that?" 'Shinichi' widened her eyes even more, and let out a small gasp of surprise. Then, she tilted her head to a side, as if in deep thought, "But if what you say is indeed true, then there must be a way to open the box. Crack the safe, if you would." From the way Ishikawa tensed for a second, Kaito knew that Ishikawa knew how to open it.

On the other hand, the magician could not push Ishikawa too far or else the dealer wouldn't give Kaito the information he wanted. So he decided to pull back ever so slightly, leaning against the spine of the chair. "But you say this treasure goes back to the French Revolution, correct? There's a strong possibility that the key to opening it might've gotten lost during that perilous era, or it already belongs to someone else. I heard that it's a common problem with antiques like these; there's always a buyer, and finding them could be like seeking out a needle in a haystack."

'Shinichi' shrugged. "Still, it was nice of you to tell me about this item's history. Maybe I'll keep it in my living room as a conversation piece, might liven up the place a bit," The raven-haired 'female' wobbled ever so slightly as 'she' grabbed the crutches on the side. Kaito raised a hand towards the shell-shocked Ishikawa, a friendly smile stretched across his mask. "Thanks again for your time. Do you think Aoyagi-san could bring that out to the waiting room for me? I need to use the restroom." Just as Kaito was about to leave the office, Ishikawa called out to his client.

"W-Wait a minute please, K-Kudo-san!"

Kaito could not be more thankful for the fact that his back was facing Ishikawa at that moment. After all, it wouldn't do any good for his Poker Face to break the illusion of a cool detective would it? "Yes, Ishikawa-san? Is something wrong?" The magician watched from the corner of his eye as the antique dealer released a low cough.

"N-Nothing to worry about, Kudo-san. I only just remembered something. You must excuse my memory, being the old man that I am."

'Shinichi' shrugged, nearly resisting the urge to roll 'her' eyes at the half-baked lie. Jii could come up with a more persuasive excuse than that. "It's quite alright, happens to the best of us. What seems to be on your mind?"

Ishikawa appeared to be in deep thought for a moment, however, Kaito could tell instantly that he was putting on an act. In less than a few minutes, the dark-haired teen would know if he had played his cards right today.

"Well, Kudo-san, now that I think of it, I do remember a buyer approaching me a few days ago. A collector of antiques from the French Revolution, to be precise. Among other trinkets, he asked me to examine a set of manuscripts from a trip he recently purchased in Europe. I'm fairly certain, if my memory doesn't deceive me, that I saw a box very much similar to yours on one of them."

Behind his politely bored Poker Face, Kaito grinned. Ishikawa had fallen for it. Hook, line and sinker. Nonetheless, the magician continued to maintain the illusion that he was oblivious to the dealer's true intentions.

"I believe he would be interested in buying your antique. Perhaps, they may even possess the key to your box, considering the vast collection of items he has purchased over the years. I believe he might also possess the blueprints of the box, but it could already be in the hands of someone else. Would you like me to arrange a meeting?"

'Shinichi' softly smiled at him. "That is a stroke of luck, indeed! I hadn't considered selling this, but I could give it a thought. If it's not too much trouble for you, Ishikawa-san, I would like to meet this person. Perhaps this item is exactly what he was looking for."

The dealer almost hurried to get a pad and a pen from an adjacent drawer. "Kudo-san, could you please leave your contact details with me? So that I may call you to confirm the meeting later?"

'Shinichi' nodded. "Yes, just a moment. Could you please ring for Aoyagi-san to help me with the item? My ride should be outside shortly to pick me up."

As Ishikawa turned to his desk, 'Shinichi' quickly unscrewed the pen and slid a tiny electronic device inside. A small audio transmitter. Kaito had earlier placed a similar one under the edge of Ishikawa's desk. Closing it, 'she' pretended to fiddle around with the pen for a moment, as if working out how it opened.

In a slow, messy scrawl, 'Shinichi' wrote down 'her' name and a mobile number. On the surface it appeared to be an ordinary number that could be reached anywhere, though in truth, it was that of a disposable cell phone which hooked up to KID's computer. Kaito could remotely access it, after passing a number of security firewalls and protocols. The magician wasn't taking any more chances with the Organization.

Handing over the stationary, 'Shinichi' hobbled out of the door, with a polite smile and nod to Ishikawa. Only once he was out of the building and inside the dark blue car with tinted windows, did Kaito allow a shark-like grin to curve his lips as he slipped off his disguise.

The Organization would come running to them once Ishikawa reported to his supervisor. And report he would; Kaito had given him too much incentive to do otherwise.

"Did it go as planned, Bocchan?" Jii asked from the driver's seat, eyeing his surrogate grandchild from the rear-view mirror.

"Oh, Jii-san, it went better than planned~!" The messy haired grinned wide, reclining against the leather seat. "Ishikawa took the bait, and he'll be reporting the 'good news' to the puppeteer of the Organization, who'll finally come out of the shadows to obtain his prize. Jii, the final battle will be here sooner than we can blink."

The bespectacled male hummed in agreement. "That's good news, Bocchan. Kudo-chan will be pleased to know that."

"Shin-chan will be delighted, although she's going to huff that I 'left her out of the action'. Say, Jii-san, take a small detour to that bakery near Shin-chan's apartment, will you? A little something sweet should cheer her up~!"

Jii nodded with a small grin of his own and drove off to their next destination. About an hour later, Kaito was back at Clyro Villa with two snow-white boxes in one hand while the other appendage held the spare key to Room 223. Still grinning like a lovestruck fool he unlocked the front door and hollered, "Honey, I'm home~!"

The response that Kaito received was snarky, yet so full of affection that it made his chest cavity swell in happiness. "Get over here, you scoundrel!"

Yup. That's his Shin-chan all right~!

Once the magician locked the front door behind him and slipped off his shoes, Kaito's dark blue orbs softened at the lovely sight. Sitting in the living room with a stack of books next to her on the couch was the Detective of the East, pant-clad legs elevated in the air by a stack of pillows on the coffee table. But she looked far from happy.

For good measure, and perhaps to turn the sour look on Shin-chan's face upside down, Kaito gasped dramatically as he placed the confectionary on the marble counter, a hand over his heart. "Oh, how could you be so cruel after all I've done for you, my dear detective?!"

Shinichi released an unladylike snort. "All you've done for me, indeed. You left me here. With Hakuba-kun and Aoko-chan, who are more overprotective than my own parents. Meanwhile, you were outside, gallivanting around and playing hero while disguised as me."

"But I-!"

The sleuth crossed her arms, turning away from the magician. "Go away, Kaito. Get lost. I never want to see your infuriatingly adorable face again." Kaito gaped at his female companion.

"But, Sh-Shin-chan!"

"What?"

"I brought you cake! And free hugs~!"

The young woman blinked in surprise at Kaito once, then twice before she released a heavy sigh. "I'll forgive you this time, but only because there's cake involved. And I'm hungry. But you can keep the hugs."

Kaito smirked. "You know you can't resist my 'infuriatingly adorable' face, Shin-chan~!" That remark earned the magician a pillow landing right in the face. "Jeez, Shinichi! What did I do to deserve the fluffy fury of a pillow?!"

"Because you talk too much, Kuroba-kun. And I want some cake."

Snickering at the detective's childish response, he pulled out utensils from a nearby drawer before four slices of chocolate cake were divided evenly on two plates. Because what better reward would there be for a gentleman thief than enjoying a sugary treat with the woman he loves after a long day of hard work?

Walking over to the couch, Kaito placed his portion down on the far left corner of coffee table before he handed Shinichi her plate. "Well, what if I was to tell you that the meeting with Ishikawa ended so beautifully that he'll arrange a meeting with a 'buyer' who may very well have the key to our precious cargo?" He asked, licking his lips at the sight of the delicious morsel.

Shinichi gave him a deadpanned expression. "I'd say you are either a recklessly impulsive but brilliant man, or it's just an excuse to take advantage of my current condition." The sleuth replied, taking a small bite of her own cake. It wasn't that bad. Maybe a...little too sweet for her liking?

"Shin-chan!"

"It's the truth, and you know it."

The couple soon fell silent, enjoying each others' company and their little snack. Once the plates were licked clean, Kaito grabbed them so he could put them in the sink to be washed, much to Shinichi's annoyance. Yet when the deed was completed, the Detective of the East decided to reward Kaito for his efforts.

Releasing a small sigh, Shinichi extended both of her arms in the air and towards the magician, "Come here. I'm cashing in on that free hug."

Kaito almost bounded over to the girl, mindful not to jostle her. What followed was less of a hug and more of Kaito behaving like a cat, as he rubbed against her cheek. Shinichi smiled a little, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Hey, Kuroba-kun? You know, you'd make a pretty good cat. Although slightly high-maintenance." Shinichi snickered at the offended pout stretched across his face before she cured with a small peck on the corner of his mouth. "But seriously, don't scare me like that again. I know you wanted to help, and I really appreciate what you've done...I just don't want to go back to the hospital again, and this time it might be your life on the line," The fingers in Kaito's dark head tightened ever so slightly. "Okay?"

Kaito turned his big blue eyes on Shinichi, observing her slightly furrowed brow and concerned eyes. "If you think I'll willingly let you walk in to face the Organization alone, you've got another thought coming. There's no way I'm letting them touch a single hair on your head, not as long as I live. They've taken too much from me. There's no way in hell I'm letting them take you too."

"Kaito - "

"I'm serious, Shin-chan. I can't lose you."

"And you won't, Kaito." The raven-haired teen smiled down at him, moving one of her hands to cup the magician's cheek. Kaito leaned into her touch, gently nuzzling his face against the slightly calloused palm that smelled faintly of vanilla flowers and almonds. A unique perfume that most likely came from the stack of books on the detective's other side. "How are you so certain of that?" He asked.

"Because KID will be the one who'll be watching my back, and he should know that I'll watch over his, no matter what happens," Shinichi leaned in and softly kissed the tip of Kaito's nose. "If it helps, you can tell KID that I'll make sure to have Professor Agasa upgrade both my wristwatch and soccer ball belt before this meeting."

Kaito cracked a grin. "Just don't aim either of those at him this time, hmm?"

"Well, I'm not making any promises. He's a proper rogue. I need to keep him in line."

The prankster rolled his eyes, lightly bopping Shinichi on the nose for her teasing remark. "Hey, I have it on good authority that Kaitou KID, the Gentleman Thief, does not steal from others' jewellery boxes. Unclaimed jewels are fair game."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you so sure?"

"Just a feeling. If I had to guess, I'd say he's found a jewel of his own. Possibly dark-haired, with sapphire eyes, and the cutest button nose. Although," Kaito leaned towards the sleuth until the tips of their noses touched each other. "I'd have to say, yours is rather cute too."

Shinichi's cheeks bloomed to a light shade of magenta at the unexpected gesture of affection. "I-Idiot!" The response she received from Kaito was a lazy grin. "Yeah, but I'm your idiot." He tightened the grip he around the detective's middle. "And I'll never let you go."

* * *

 **It looks like Kaito was successful in his recon mission! But despite the immense fluffiness between him and his dear critic over slices of delicious chocolate cake, what will happen now in their battle against the Organization? Will the mastermind behind this devious syndicate finally reveal themselves through Ishikawa, or are the pair falling into a trap that even the great Kaitou KID could not have foreseen? Decisions, decisions :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Happy Halloween, my dear audience! On this auspicious night **OnyxKatana** and I are proud to present the twenty-third act of _Paper Faces_. Furthermore, I would like to thank **Red-Hot Habanero** for her valuable feedback on this particular chapter. This tale has endured quite the journey so far with more magic and mystery to be enjoyed. So without further do, let us begin! :)

* * *

In his darkened office overlooking the City of Angels, the Maestro listened carefully to Ishikawa's report on the other end of the telephone. "Very good. You have my permission to proceed with the arrangements of this...meeting. Where? Ah, perhaps at that place. Yes. Yes, that's fine. Hashimoto will send you the address. I'll be there in five days. Security? We'll discuss those details further when I land in Europe. Yes. Good night."

Disconnecting the line with a touch of his cell phone, the Maestro then stood up from his chair and walked towards the window before releasing a tired breath. How did his organization become so incompetent over the last two years? The Volley Comet would be arriving soon and his second-in-command has once again nearly spent the yearly budget to eliminate a single man. How troublesome. If it were up to the Maestro, he would simply get rid of Snake and hire someone with more competence, and for lack of a better word, evenly-tempered. The Maestro had learned through various sources that the moustached man had very little patience, would preferring to shoot first and ask questions later. That line of thinking was dangerous, both to the idiot and the entire Organization.

Nonetheless, the Maestro was pleased with this turn of events. Kudo Shinichi had no idea who Ishikawa worked for, or what they had planned for the young lady less than a week from now.

A gloved hand touched the glass, cold eyes peering across the brightly-lit metropolis before he turned his attention back at an intricate portrait hanging above the doorway. "Pandora will soon be in my grasp. And then, I'll be able to see you smile at me once more. Please wait a little longer, Bice."

xPFx

Meanwhile on the other side of the world Kaito and Shinichi were in the latter's apartment, both staring intently at the wooden container on the coffee table. Forty-eight hours after the 'detective' visited Ishikawa, Kaito had gotten a call back from the antique dealer and made a tentative appointment on Sunday afternoon at a disclosed location written on a piece of paper. Normally, this collector was hard to get into contact with due to his busy schedule. But considering the item in question is tied to the manuscripts he possessed, he would be making an exception for Ishikawa.

Today was Thursday, almost the end of the week with no new leads on how to open the container except what Kaito had learned from his recon mission. Dark blue orbs glanced at narrowed indigo ones.

"A penny for your thoughts, Kuroba-kun?"

The dark-haired teen looked at her, his brows scrunched up in contemplation. "It's nothing, Shin-chan. It's just that I feel so frustrated, like I'm missing something vital when I know I should have seen it! I just don't know what…"

Shinichi remained silent, reaching over to cover and squeeze his hand with her own. "There's definitely more to this mystery than what we're seeing right now. We just have to figure out what that is," Releasing her grip on Kaito's palm - much to his displeasure - the sleuth leaned forward and picked up up the container. "You said Ishikawa took his time examining this item, right?" When she saw the magician nod, Shinichi continued. "If he is working with the Organization, it's possible that his superiors sent him something, notes on what to look for and make sure this is really the container for Pandora. Hold on…what's this?"

Frowning, the young woman rubbed the underside of the box again. "Dents? No, these are smaller, and...circular?" Turning the container around so she could see what she was feeling, her eyes widened in surprise. "This...I think this is Braille!" She brushed her fingers over the markings, a confused expression appearing on her face. "But, hold on. No. This…" Shinichi shook her head, her eyebrows creasing in frustration. "I don't understand it. These words don't make any sense!"

Kaito was now openly gawking at Shinichi. The young woman sitting next to him was a walking conundrum; she brought justice to victims and yet believed she caused them misery, the solution to half of his problems while also being the cause for them. All the more reason to believe they were meant for each other, right?

Taking the cylindrical item from her, Kaito flipped it around to see the Braille for himself, slowly running his fingers over the lacquered wood finish. Sure enough, there were small indentations running along the edges. Careful observation revealed that it was indeed Braille, just as Shinichi had declared moments ago. Lightly rubbing the box, he mentally analysed the Braille symbols.

It was originally devised by 19th century soldier Charles Barbier as an alternative method to silently communicate with soldiers without a source of light at the request of Napoleon Bonaparte himself, fitting dubbed "night writing". Afterwards this system was further revised by Louis Braille as a literary system for the visually impaired, being blind himself and was presently in six different languages, including Japanese. Wait...six? Kaito ran his fingers left to right again, mentally going through the recesses of his mind until he suddenly realization dawned on him as to why Shinichi couldn't make head or tail of the message.

"This is French! Shin-chan! The message written on here is in the original language of the Braille system, French!" Releasing a small 'whoop' of glee, Kaito placed the container down and nearly tripped over his two feet to grab a pen and sheet of paper from his school bag. The magician scribbled down the text, and then carefully translated it into Japanese. Once the task was complete he slid the parchment towards Shinichi, who raised an eyebrow before reading it out loud.

 _The ancient giant from the East,_

 _Was slain by Man and by Beast._

 _And laid to rest upon his pyre._

 _To feed a ravenous desire,_

 _He'd swallowed a woman whole._

 _Then, feeling hungry still, he tried_

 _To swallow a horse and thus he died._

The Detective of the East turned her attention back to Kaito, a small smirk on her face. "Looks like your French heritage finally came to some use, Kuroba-kun."

Kaito pretended to be offended with a pouty expression stretched across his face. "I'll have you know that my French streak of romance is a huge hit with the ladies, my dear detective!"

Shinichi scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "What ladies? Are you sure the Great Phantom Thief is ready to settle with a single gem when there are apparently other gems to snatch for his jewelry box?" Ignoring yet another dramatic gesture from his partner, she examined the container again carefully.

"So, there was a riddle written on Braille. Ishikawa might have been aware about this, depending on the information he received from the Organization prior to meeting 'me' and this was a confirmation on the container's authenticity. But if that's true, wouldn't it strike it as odd? Look at the finish," Shinichi held up higher in the air so Kaito could see what she was talking. "For an antique that's supposedly from the 18th century, this part looks almost brand new. And...so does the Braille? No. More like...it was refurbished?" The dark-haired woman looked back at the magician with a confused frown. "No one else has seen this container or even touched it except us, Ran, and Ishikawa. Unless - "

"Unless what?"

Shinichi remained silent for a moment, lips pursed in contemplation before she slowly released the air she had been holding in, looking at Kaito straight in the eye. "Unless the only other person who had gone through the trouble is also the one who was trying to protect it from the crows. And that person might have been the one to actually unlock it once the riddle was solved before they hunted him down. Kuroba Toichi. The previous Kaitou KID." She looked back at the box again. "Perhaps, by solving this riddle, it might or might not give us the "key" needed to open this thing."

Kaito's head was now spinning at this point. As the Phantom Thief, he'd dealt with his fair share of unbelievable facts and myths that weren't myths at all, but this was getting a bit much, even for him.

"So, your theory is that somehow, my father was the one previously in possession of this box, and he somehow managed to open it. But he resealed and hid it away when he realized he was being targeted by the Organization. Going so far as to leave his own clue on the box for someone else to open it?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Now, onto the solving of the riddle." Grabbing a piece of paper and pen that was generously offered by Kaito at the flick of his wrist, she wrote down the riddle in Japanese. A contemplative frown appeared on her face as her little gray cells went to work for what seemed like an eternity, until she wrote the answer on the paper and showed it to the wide-eyed magician.

"I'm absolutely positive that this is the answer to the riddle. But the question is, how can we put it on the box? There isn't any obvious dents or spaces on the box unless...we say it. Like a voice encryption to access a vault filled with priceless values?" The sleuth frowned. "And if Kuroba Toichi possessed this container before...what if it can only be opened in his voice with the answer to the riddle?" Shinichi looked at Kaito straight in the eye. "Do you think that's something your father might do, or is it too far out for his M.O.?"

"No, you're right. That does sound like something my father would do. It would be right up his alley to pull off something like that. Especially if he intended for me to get to the box. There are few people who can mimic someone else's voice. Hold on, let me try it."

Clearing his throat, Kaito took a deep breath. Mimicking his father's baritone and warm tone of voice, he read the answer to the riddle out loud.

Yet nothing happened, the circular box stayed the way it was. Kaito repeated the single word again, though much louder this time. Alas, his efforts yielded no result.

Shinichi frowned, a flummoxed fire dancing in her blue eyes. "I-I don't get it, that have worked! I'm certain the answer to the riddle is correct, and logically, it HAS to be the previous Kaitou KID who sealed the box. So what are we will still missing?!"

The sleuth started to feel around the container again, her right hand brushing against its left side until she felt a sharp pain on the tip of her finger. Shinichi immediately pulled away and saw that it was bleeding, followed by the sound of gears clicking and turning. The teens shared a bewildered expression before Shinichi broke the silence.

"...Can you try saying the answer again?"

"Yeah. Although, do you mind if I test out another theory?" Kaito asked her, his brows furrowed. Shinichi nodded. "By all means."

Kaito took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. In a low and clear voice, he spoke the answer again. The two teens waited with bated breath, until the silence was broken by the sound of gears beginning to whirr, with the occasional clicking sound. And slowly, oh so slowly, a circular crease appeared around the container's middle as it opened, revealing a large gem with an apple-red hue glowing from its crystal interior.

Shinichi looked completely dumbfounded as she stared at the hidden treasure before looking at the equally surprised magician. "What just happened?"

Kaito rubbed the back of his neck. "It was something that you said. I was speaking in Kuroba Toichi's voice though it looks like the device he installed in the box is able to pick up even the slightest of differences in pitch. It makes sense, since the box was programmed to open to the previous Kaitou KID's voice, who was on the run from the Organization. It's the same way on how he used to make traps that could activate at the sound of his voice at a heist. That's probably one of the reasons why no one has realized that I'm KID, except you of course."

"But why would there be a mechanism to have me prick my finger?" Shinichi held up her finger with a raised brow. " I just felt around the box and got nicked. I didn't see it but I felt a blade, though a small one. Could it relate to a twisted sense of humor that involves something crimson and flowing with 'life'?"

"Could be a red herring or something, to throw the Organisation off of the search. Maybe make them believe it was made to open only through his blood or something similar. I wouldn't put it past Dad to play with their belief that Pandora gives someone eternal life." Kaito said, pulling out a band-aid from his pants pocket and carefully coiled the adhesive around Shinichi's finger. "Maybe the 'blood offering' is the first 'key' to unlock the container, and the second 'key' is to say the answer to the riddle in Dad's voice."

"Wonderful. Next thing we know, it was tailored to open only for my blood or something. At this point I don't anything will surprise me anymore." Shinichi muttered under her breath. Kaito nodded in agreement before his indigo orbs fell upon the jewel he had been chasing after for the last two years. Now at last, Pandora was within his grasp. And he could not have done so without the assistance of his beloved detective.

A heavy silence fell upon Number 223 before the sleuth tore her attention away from the gem and towards the magician sitting next to her. "So, what now?" Shinichi asked. "We know how to open the container but we haven't heard back from Ishikawa. His superiors could be in Japan today, tomorrow, or even next week."

"...I think that's enough excitement for one day, Shin-chan."

"EH?!"

The astounded expression on Shinichi's face was utterly priceless, and definitely in Kaito's 'Top Ten Faces He Loves To See on Shin-chan' list. Her expression changed, too soon for his liking, switching to a mildly frustrated one with narrowed eyes burning with a challenge. "I'm not an invalid here!"

"I didn't say you were, Shin-chan. We managed to figure out a lot about Pandora and my Dad this afternoon. Wouldn't it be better to let our magnificent brains rest until we hear from Ishikawa?"

" 'Magnificent brains', Kaito? If I didn't know any better, I'd say yours is positively fried." Shinichi said with a small smirk stretching across her face.

"Fried?! I'm the Kaitou KID! I've plotted heists more complicated than this, I'll have you know!"

Shinichi did not look impressed. "Uh-huh." The sound of gears turning and clicking reached her ears again. Glancing back at the container on the coffee table, the Detective of the East looked on as it sealed itself up on its own.

Yet once the circular lid was closed, the dark-haired sleuth suddenly recalled something she had forgotten until now. Even though she was almost recovered from being shot and another secret of Pandora had at least been revealed, there was a piece of paper sitting on top of her nightstand in the master bedroom. The 'present' Shinichi had wanted to show to Kaito at the ramen restaurant before she had been taken the ER. Using her upper body strength, the detective released a low groan as she stood up from the couch.

"Eh? Shin-chan, you need to lie down and rest -"

"I need to do this on my own Kaito," Shinichi interrupted as she tried to not wince at the dull pain that started to blossom in her body. "I'll be alright, really." The Detective of the East smiled reassuringly at the magician before she disappeared down the hall and into the first room on the left. Moments later, Shinichi hobbled back to the couch with a piece of paper in hand and a small, shy smile stretched across her face when she made eye contact with Kaito.

"Here. I was going to give this to you when we...went out, but as you know it didn't work out as we thought it would." Shinichi explained, grimacing slightly as she recalled that night.

"What is that?" Kaito asked her, tilting his head.

Shinichi blushed, and held out the paper. "See for yourself, Kuroba-kun."

Kaito looked at the suddenly self-conscious detective in front of him, and then at the sheet of paper in her hand, raising an eyebrow at her odd behaviour. Taking it from her, he unfolded it and smoothed it out.

In neat calligraphy, the page read:

 ** _To K, the person who had used his magic to help me create this mystery and brought that same phenomenon to my own world, when I needed someone the most. Thank you._**

Kaito reread the words, before glancing up at Shinichi, who was visibly fidgeting. He raised a questioning eyebrow. Seeing the perplexed expression on his face, the sleuth released a frustrated sigh before she ran a hand through her hair. "It's the dedication page for _The Witch's Banquet_. I'm dedicating my first novel, which you helped me with, to _you_. Geez, and I thought I was oblivious."

Kaito gave her a sunny smile, before his lips curved into his signature shark-grin, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Aw, Shin-chan. I never knew you held KID so close to your heart~! Dedicating a novel to him!"

"I take back my words. I'm going to call the publishing house and ask them to remove the dedication page. You've lost the privilege."

Kaito leaned forward and tackled Shinichi in a bear hug, all the while mindful of her injuries. He nuzzled his nose into the top of her head, before peppering her face with kisses.

"Get off me, you overgrown puppy!"

"No can do~! I love you so much, Shin-chan! You're the best!"

As he held Shinichi in his arms, Kaito's gray cells were pushed into overdrive. They had solved the riddle and found out more about his father that neither of them had expected. But now armed with this knowledge, how would they use it to launch a counterattack against the Organization?

He thought and thought, until finally the magician came up with an idea. It was a risky, recklessly impulsive one that'd require more than Shin-chan's seal of approval and certainly earn her fearsome ire if it fell through the cracks. Still, how could he call himself the Phantom Thief if he did not have a few backup plans up his sleeve?

* * *

 **More secrets have been revealed about Pandora's container, followed by a sweet moment between the detective and gentleman thief over a novel's dedication page. Yet one must wonder what Kaito exactly has up his sleeve. Does he plan to impersonate his dear sleuth again and go to the meeting alone, or will Shinichi be allowed to help him take down the Organization once and for all? Decisions, decisions :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

Hello and happy holidays, my dear readers! I can't believe Christmas is around the corner at the same time I'm finishing up my class at university. I'd like to thank **OnyxKatana** for helping me create this chapter in midst of a hectic schedule. And so without further ado, let the twenty-fourth act of _Paper Faces_ commence for an eager audience! :)

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Stationed to the sidelines of a grandiose ballroom, Inspector Nakamori surveyed the sea of masked individuals with a keen eye. For the past thirteen years he had pursued Kaitou KID in numerous heists that were constantly changing its rankings to the most extravagant, hair-pulling crime in his police career. However, this evening at the Glass Swan Hotel would have much more at stake; not because that the guest list had wealthy and political individuals, but the reputation of the entire Tokyo law enforcement. Why? Because this time, the Phantom Thief had stolen a priceless artifact from Inspector Megure's prized consultant; the Detective of the East herself, Kudo Shinichi.

It had happened over two weeks ago, on a Sunday evening at ten o'clock in Beika. Shinichi had decided to take a trip back to her old providence and pay a visit to her next-door neighbor Professor Agasa and his relative Haibara Ai. They had dinner at seven-thirty, in which afterwards the sleuth showed them an antique she recently had appraised but could not open for some reason. Then on a whimsical guess from the child, the spherical box opened to reveal a priceless gem! That occurred around eight o'clock, according to the police report.

An hour later Shinichi returned to her old residence next door, an old but still functioning mansion, for the evening. Later at nine-fifteen she called the appraiser and was on the phone with him for nearly a half an hour, explaining the discovery she had made before the young woman was suddenly attacked from behind. Records and audio playback confirmed that the phone was still on during the struggle with the attacker, confirming the identity of KID before he ran off with the priceless gem. Inspector Megure received the emergency call, and his team interrogated the neighbors. They confirmed around the time of the robbery that they saw a figure in white leaping from an open window via a hang-glider. And Shinichi never left any door or windows open when she visited Beika, to the knowledge of Professor Agasa. Once statements were taken, the investigation was handed over to Nakamori's precinct.

For the next few days, the trail started to grow cold without anything else except the case's flimsy folder, which consisted only the crime scene photos and the interrogation reports. While the police were having no luck, social media took things by the storm. ' **KAITOU KID STEALS PRICELESS GEM FROM THE DETECTIVE OF THE EAST**!' was the most popular headline in Internet search engines.

Just when the moustached officer was more than willing to close it, Shinichi suddenly came to his office with a sealed envelope. It was from KID. The bastard had written a heist note to his victim and dearest police force; the forensics team confirmed that every little detail, from the calligraphy to the mocking caricature on the bottom right-hand corner, that this note was not a duplication.

The Phantom Thief had declared that while his theft was a success, the gem he stole was not the one he wanted. KID plans on returning it to Shinichi, but on his vague terms. The only thing that Nakamori can confirm is the location: an exhibition of Greek Mythology at a well-known hotel in Ekoda within two weeks. Those days had passed, leading Nakamori to his current predicament. His task force were stationed at every possible exit and entry location, ready to move on their superior's signal.

But KID was an unpredictable prick. What was he planning on doing tonight?

xPFx

All around him were the sparkle of jewels and a flurry of skirts. Being a black-tie event, the exhibition was full of people dressed to the nines. Kaito himself was decked out in an attractive dark blue suit jacket and matching trousers, tailored to fit his lean frame. To make his formal outfit seem more like him, he was wearing the Rainbow Maiden pin he bought for Shin-chan. A good luck from her to him. Said girl, who was also his date for the event, was currently sitting across from him, dressed in a midnight blue dress that brushed until just below her knees. Her hair was loose and framing her face, and she wore strappy sandals, with no heel. Thank goodness for that. While she was extremely skilled, Kaito had no problems with admitting that the girl was ridiculously clumsy when it came to formal events. As much as he loved Shin-chan from the bottom of his heart, high heels and Shinichi spelled out a recipe for disaster.

The pair was at one of the tables, and were accompanied by the detective's "relatives"- Haibara Ai and Professor Agasa. A few metres from them, there was an open space where couples were moving in time to the live classical music that played. On a whim, Kaito stood up, surprising the other three occupants.

"Kaito, what hap- "

Shinichi was cut off as Kaito stood in front of her, and bowed deeply. He held his hand out in front of him, and his signature rose bloomed from between his fingers. Offering it to Shinichi, he smiled.

"May I have this dance?"

Shinichi felt the tip of her ears turn a light, pink shade. It was clear that no matter how much time would pass between them, the detective knew it'd never be enough to gain an immunity over Kaito's random bursts of affection or romantic gestures. Releasing a low sigh, the young woman stood up from the cherry-wood chair, her lithe form dipped into a small curtsy before the magician. Kaito's grin widened and returned the gesture with a low bow of his own, having the offer to dance being accepted as he tucked her elbow into his arm and led them to the dance floor. Yeah, it's a bit outdated to apply such customs from the late eighteenth century in today's modern lingo, but chivalry was never dead in the presence of Kuroba Kaito. Especially if he was going to dance with a very special dame.

Yet despite being somewhat happy that she'd be doing the waltz with the Phantom Thief (Shinichi would never say out loud that this was going to be the highlight of her evening, heaven forbid Kaito's ego gets any bigger), the sleuth of the East couldn't help wondering what made him decide to be here when Aoko and Hakuba were still on the dance floor. Was Kaito finally growing out of his fear "of being contaminated by the other detective's boring-ness?"

When she looked up and saw the momentary look of disgust on Kaito's face, that thought was immediately flung out of the window.

So then, what was it, Shinichi wondered, that prompted the magician to put his toes in such grave danger by dancing with her? Was there a contingency plan that he hadn't told her about? Or...did the Organization make the first move in this very room?

Just when her little grey cells went into overdrive, the sleuth almost jumped at feeling Kaito's warm breath against her ear. "It's all right, Shin-chan. Just relax. I'll lead us. Everything will be fine. Kaitou's honour."

That was all the warning Shinichi received before Kaito took one of her hands in his own while coiling his other hand on her waist and pulled her close to him. Following his example Shinichi raised her free hand to rest on his shoulder. Kaito gave her an encouraging smile as he then gently tugged the detective's stiff frame along to the music. To the teen's great astonishment, they were dancing; properly dancing like everyone else here, and in time to the music nonetheless. Kaito's steps sure as his grip on her shoulder and waist remained firm yet gentle, indigo orbs never wavering from her own dark blue ones.

For the next few songs, the detective and Phantom Thief allowed themselves to be completely lost in their own world until the music shifted to a faster tempo. Realizing what just happened and glancing around at the other couples, Kaito gave his partner a sly smirk.

"What do you say to a little more adventurous dancing, Shin-chan~?" Kaito whispered softly to Shinichi, and in a lower tone he added, "It'll give us the chance to do a little recon while being discreet about it, neh?"

Dark blue orbs widened. What was Kaito thinking? Her expertise lied in solving cases and capturing criminals, not dancing, regardless if it was qualified as chaste like the waltz or adventurous like the other couples were right now. If she were to guess the current sequence was...the tango. Yikes.

She opened her mouth to politely decline when she saw the mischief sparkling in his eyes, and a painfully familiar shark-like grin. "Kuroba Kaito, don't you even think-"

The coffee-haired investigator was cut off for the second time when she was suddenly jerked forward, being intimately pressed against Kaito's front. The contact did not last even a second before he quickly spun twirled Shinichi around and then dipped her form towards the marble floor.

At this point she was clearly gawking at her dance partner, jaw slackened and widened eyes the size of dinner plates. Before she could formulate a response, Kaito quickly pecked her on the lips, righted her tiny frame to its prior position, and smoothly shifted them into a different position. They were soon gliding across the floor and mimicking the forms of the other couples.

Once she had the chance to collect herself Shinichi scowled at her so-called date. "You are, without a doubt, an idiot, Kaito." His only response was another grin that followed with another stolen peck on the cheek.

"Yup, but I'm your idiot. And I irrevocably, undeniably, love you too~!"

"So damn cheesy."

"You know you like it~!"

"Hush."

As he led them across the dance floor, Kaito's own little grey cells were hard at work. So far, everything was going according to the plan that he and Shin-chan had crafted. Originally their intention was to leave their loved ones out of their confrontation with the Organization, but Haibara was not going to allow that once the little scientist had been informed by the sleuth on the plan.

"As if I'd allow you to get in danger again because of your stubborn nature. Honestly, didn't you learn anything from the first time this happened?"

"Haibara -"

"Don't argue with me." Those four little words were enough to silence the detective and give Shinichi all the more reason to (reluctantly) have Haibara become involved in staging the final confrontation. The visit to Beika, KID's break-in at the Kudo Mansion, it was all part of their script to end the Organization. Who knew that a cassette recorder would still be useful? It certainly came in handy when Shinichi 'accidentally' opened Pandora again. And because of this 'theft', it would surely bring Snake or even a higher-ranking member out in the open. They couldn't afford any more mishaps, especially when the big gem they have been searching for was within their reach.

While this scheme was by far the most elaborate Kaito had done in his thieving career, there is still the very slim possibility that something could go wrong. That was why he made sure everyone involved had a contingency plan for just that reason. Not to mention Shinichi would never forgive herself if something happened to either Professor Agasa and Haibara.

Kaito spared a glance at his wristwatch and noted the time. His audience surely has had enough of the light entertainment that their host offered to them. Why not spice things up, just as he had promised to his dear inspector? He looked at the little scientist and her guardian, who both nodded at his subtle signal.

 _Three._

 _Two._

 _One._

 **It's showtime!**

Pulling her towards the wall, he groped around the area for a few moments until he found what he was looking for: a pair of the side doors that would lead to the second stage of his plan. Taking advantage of the hubbub around them the well-dressed pair quickly slipped outside and into the small antechamber of sorts. Including being a perfect place for Kaito to carry out the rest of his show, it also put another skill to good use. Taking a deep breath, the Phantom Thief unleashed the deadly art of ventriloquism into the chaos, throwing his voice in almost every direction around the large ballroom so the police could not pinpoint his precise location.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I thank you for coming here tonight, for I can surely proclaim with certainty that this by far my most elaborate show, and we haven't rung in the New Year yet!"

The effect of those words was instantaneous; the hall fell silent for a moment, before the voices began chattering again. Soon the panic had been replaced by excitement, followed by guests pulling out their phones in an attempt to take a picture or record the entrance of the elusive Phantom Thief.

Kaito saw Shinichi roll her eyes at him, in which he only grinned in response. The suave gentleman blew the sleuth a kiss before there was a puff of smoke, and KID stood before her eyes. KID winked at her before slipping inside the ballroom again. There was a raised platform right next to the side doors, cordoned off because of some Greek metal work display, and Jii just happened to be the 'officer' who was assigned to that particular exit. How very convenient. Taking his position on the platform, KID pressed the button to bring back the lights and simultaneously used a smoke bomb to draw attention to his ' grand entrance'.

Inspector Nakamori, bless and curse such a man, was the only one who saw the sight of the Phantom Thief as one that associated with malice and determination. "KID! You're under arrest!" Just like a trumpet for a group of fox-hunting hounds, Division Two's elite squad appeared throughout the ballroom, some in disguise and some in uniform. The windows and doors were blocked, with no possible way for the criminal to escape. Or so that was what Nakamori had believed.

"Arrest me? My dear, dear Inspector Nakamori, how could you possibly arrest me when I'm returning a gem to a fair maiden instead of stealing it from her lovely hands?" KID asked with a cattish sass that made the older man's blood to boil. This rotten little-!

"Don't even try anything, KID! I've got all of the entrances sealed off and guards all over the place. You've got nowhere to run this time!"

"Oh? Is that what you think?" The Phantom Thief inquired as he placed a gloved hand inside of his pocket and pulled out two things: a pair of goggles, and a tiny silver ball. Grinning, he threw the latter onto the ground and quickly placed the glasses on his face before the world around him was enveloped in a bright, white light. It lasted only for a moment, and that was all that KID had ever needed. A moment of misdirection, allowing him time to both make his miraculous escape, and to give Jii the signal (who had brought three sets of eye protection per Kaito's orders) to get Haibara and Agasa out of the building. Now.

Shin-chan's dear friends have done their part in this grand plan, and now it was time for the real work to commence for the Phantom Thief and his accomplice. KID quickly disappeared into the antechamber, where Shinichi had just completed the final preparations for their counterattack. Their eyes met for a moment, and then they both of them nodded. Time to get to business. Kudo Shinichi entered the ballroom through the same side entrance as Kaitou KID escaped to the rooftop, Pandora safely tucked away in a hidden pocket.

Nakamori roared in both pain and anger. Damn it, the bastard brought a flash bomb! How the hell did he get one of those?! More importantly, why would the Phantom Thief even use one? Sure KID has been known to use a variety of items against the task force, but Nakamori was absolutely certain the damned thief would have used more than one of those godawful glitter grenades or even a smoke bomb to make his escape! What made KID change tactics like this?!

Oh well, he'll have plenty of time to interrogate the Kaitou KID once he was cuffed and behind bars.

"Men, after him!" Those three little words sent the KID squadron in different directions around the ballroom and facility, oblivious to the only other route that the smooth-talking criminal could escape the hotel from. All except for one person. Shinichi.

While she wanted to race to the hotel's rooftops and 'catch' the Phantom Thief as soon as possible, Shinichi could not leave the vicinity just yet. She had to linger for at least ten minutes, and for two purposes: the first is to make sure that Inspector Nakamori would be an eyewitness to the heist without getting involved in it herself, knowing that he'd pitch a fit about "how her meddling in police business has obstructed the capture of Kaitou KID", or something along those lines to Inspector Megure. Shinichi had to be an innocent bystander in this situation.

The second purpose was to provide an alibi for the absence of her date, Kuroba Kaito. If push came to shove, she would testify that he'd been with her for the entire evening until KID appeared, forcing her to leave the hotel with the other guests. Worse case scenario, both Haibara and Professor Agasa offered to their statements about the incident as well. Once the ten minutes were up, Shinichi went behind one of pillars in the ballroom. Seeing the backpack Jii had 'accidentally' left behind in the chaos, Shinichi immediately kicked off her bejeweled sandals and replaced them with the upgraded pair of power-enhancing sneakers, courtesy of the aging engineer.

Once the tranquilizer wristwatch and voice-changing brooch were on her person, Shinichi but the backpack in its hiding spot before scampering up towards the northeastern section in the ballroom. Stationed there was a unused, alternate flight of stairs to the rooftop. If she had taken the one on the opposite side, someone would have noticed or at least according to the schematics Jii had gone over with the dark-haired sleuth.

It took Shinichi at least ten to twelve minutes to climb the five flights of stairs to the rooftop, but when she arrived at her destination the sleuth was in for a nasty surprise. When she opened the door, the Detective of the East saw KID standing on the edge of the building's roof; he was confident, even calm. More so than a person should be when there was a moustached man pointing a gun at him.

Before Shinichi could call out to the Phantom Thief, she was immediately cut off by a sharp jab of pain that soon followed with her arms being twisted painfully behind her back. Dark blue orbs widened ever so slightly when cool steel pressed against the side of her head. Glancing to the right, she saw a person dressed in all back with an expressionless, stark white tiger mask over their face. In their hand, much to her dreadful deduction abilities, was a loaded gun. To the left there was someone else; they too were dressed in black, but their mask was shaped like a monkey's.

Were these...members of the Organization who were after Pandora, after the life of Kaitou KID? Shinichi didn't have much more time to ponder these thoughts as the man seemingly in charge started talking to the Phantom Thief.

"You should've stayed away tonight, KID. After all, I did promise that I'd take your life if you continued to steal Big Gems. But given to how many heists you've had since we last met, I guess my warning was taken a little too lightly. So to make sure you actually listen for a chance, I've arranged a little insurance," Shinichi twitched as the sound of a gun's safety mechanism was pulled back. "One false move and your dear little detective is done for. Unless, of course, that'd be more of a blessing in disguise for all of the heists she's ruined for you? Wouldn't surprise me in the least. After all, detectives and criminals are like oil and water. Never a good mix."

To his credit, KID retained a blank expression as he casually addressed the man. "My, my Snake, I never pegged you to fall so low as to involve innocent people in our off-on love affair. Are you getting that desperate for my attention whenever you've had for so very long? Let the detective go. This is a dance between you and me. It always has been, and always be. What can a silly little girl do to make you so upset, even if she may be exquisitely beautiful under the moonlight?"

Shinichi resisted the urge to gag. Damn it all, couldn't KID be serious for one moment. The two of them would be literally dancing with death if the Phantom Thief provoked Snake any further, or she did for one reason or another.

"Still," KID hummed thoughtfully with a raised brow. "Why would you go through all of the trouble to bring back-up for tonight's performance, then launch into a conversation that's more than twenty words? You're normally so confident with a gun in hand, claiming you will end me, and you will kill whoever you take hostage despite suffering so many failures in the past. What has changed, I wonder?" The criminal's indigo orbs narrowed ever so slightly as he stared at the man in a black trenchcoat. "Could it be that you've decided to change your tactics, so as to get back into the good graces of your superiors? Or, in truth, you're actually not my favorite, trigger-happy reptilian acquaintance after all. So, what do you say we end this charade and get down to business, hmm?"

Snake blinked once, then twice before a smirk stretched the corner of his greasy face. "Who knows? And if I did tell you the truth, would I have the honor of knowing why you used that flash bomb? I did my research, and we know it's been nearly a decade since a flash bomb of that caliber was used in a heist? That's unusual for someone who is so steadfast in their tactics and parlor tricks. Unless, of course, you're not my favorite, little shit of a magician? As the old saying goes, it takes a liar to know a liar."

A heavy tension fell upon the roof until a shark-like grin stretched across KID's face. Shinichi shuddered seeing such an expression; normally it would annoy the sleuth, for it usually meant that he was mocking the young woman. Tonight, however, she could feel the bloodlust oozing from his pure-white appearance. In short, seeing that smile was extremely unsetting for the detective to witness first-hand.

Once all eyes were riveted onto the Phantom Thief, he ever so slowly raised a gloved hand up. Coiling the tips of his fingers around the edge of his chin, everyone watched in horror as the skin peel back, ripping and shredding bit by bit. After five agonizing minutes, a Phantom Thief no longer stood in place. Dressed to the nines in a white suit was Kudo Shinichi, looking at Snake with a terrifying smirk smeared across her pretty face. The top-hat had long since been abandoned, coffee-haired tresses whipping wildly around the sleuth.

"I'm impressed. You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for, Snake. Is that who you really are? Or do I have the pleasure of speaking to Ishikawa, the antique dealer who so happens to be in cahoots with the Organization? Or…could it be that the real star has finally appeared on the stage? The puppeteer who's been pulling everyone's strings from the shadows, the boss of the Organization? What did Ishikawa call you? Oh, right, the Maestro. Is that right?"

Not giving the armed individual a chance to speak or even pull the trigger, a spherical object was suddenly thrown onto the ground, covering the entire rooftop with thick coils of smoke. Two thumps were heard, followed by a slight commotion, before the smoke cleared.

The masked individuals who held Shinichi hostage were unconscious, their bodies lying motionless on the cold concrete with cuffs wrapped around their wrists. However, the 'detective' was long gone and replaced by the taller, genuine form of Kaitou KID. Once he'd knocked out the masked henchman, KID removed his own disguise and placed the signature monocle over his eye. He smiled hauntingly at Snake. Or was it the Maestro, who refused to unveil his own disguise? Oh well, that didn't really matter right now, did it?

"It is a pleasure to meet you as myself, after all this time. While I am proud of my skills as a master at disguise, I couldn't possibly compare to the young lady's beauty. And that dress was getting a little constricting, to be honest. I do apologize for the usage of a smokescreen, but

but I needed the distraction to knock out and restrain your lackeys. Poorly trained, if I may add. I almost felt insulted at being restrained by such louts."

Then, shifting his stance a little, KID smirked at his opponent. "Now that all of our introductions have been properly made, let's have a little fun shall we? It's a full moon after all~!"

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 **Surprised, my dear readers? :) After much deliberation,** _OnyxKatana_ **and I decided to divide the final act of** _Paper Faces_ **into two part. As of now, you've finished reading the first segment. Yet more questions are left unanswered. Who is the Maestro? What purpose do they have in mind for the usage of Pandora? Does it possibly have something to do with the person named Bice? And how will the Detective of the East and Phantom Thief take down the Organization once and for all? Decisions, decisions :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added** _Paper Faces_ **to their alert lists.**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

I would like to profusely thank **OnyxKatana** and **Vivian Gray** for their assistance in creating this segment. It simply would not have been possible without their help. So without further ado, let the final act of _Paper Faces_ commence for an eager audience, and just in time for the holiday season! :)

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KID's orbs remained locked onto the Snake imposter, a neutral expression still stretched across his face whilst keeping an eye on his dear detective. Granted it was a delight to finally come face-to-face with the person responsible for his father's murder, but it seemed that time was starting to become of the essence. Jii had hacked into the police comms and relayed information that Inspector Nakamori's task force was starting to move their search towards their location. It was only a matter of time before this little "meeting" was interrupted.

In his lazy and honeyed tone of voice, Kaitou KID drawled out, "It's a shame, honestly. You're so much more entertaining than Snake was. However, I have a feeling this game is going to end sooner than I'd like it to. There's a lot to talk about, you know? I'd have preferred to draw it out a little."

To his shock, the Maestro smirked. The barest trace that his lips had twisted into a smirk, while being just this side of condescending. "Ah, but I'm afraid you're wrong in that assumption, KID. This game isn't going to be a stalemate, and neither of you are slipping away from here. I took the liberty of calling in a few favors, and they were...more than happy to lend me their aid in stalling the task force just a little longer until we've settled this matter."

KID blinked. "Oh? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you'd pull something like that. Corruption runs deep, even under the supposed scales of justice and honor."

Now fully aware of his opponent's move on the chessboard, the question remained as to who would interrupt it- the Organization or the Task Force. While the Phantom Thief did not hold the moustached police officer in the highest regard, Kuroba Kaito still thought of him as the uncle he never had growing up; furthermore, the magician would be damned if something happened to him, Ahouko, and that bastard Hakuba.

Shinichi spared a glance at KID before she blinked at the imposter, unwavered at the sight of his silver pistol. "It's obvious that you're planning on killing us soon and make it seem like an unfortunate accident, but there's something I'd to know, two things actually. First of all, how were you able to pull such a stunt when there were so many officers stationed for tonight's heist? And for my second question, what is your motive to steal Pandora? Is it the money? Or something else?" The Detective of the East asked, mindful that there was a fifty-fifty chance that the false Snake would even bother to answer her questions. "It's hard to believe that this gem is worth killing someone over, unless I'm proven otherwise."

The Maestro kept his pistol trained on the pair as he raised an eyebrow. "I'm old, not stupid Kudo Shinichi. You're trying to weasel a confession out of me so it can be given to the police."

Shinichi blinked. "Oh? But you just said that your friends will be keeping the police, didn't you? So what makes the difference if what I tell the police is true or not? They'd need your testimony as well, so it would be your word against mine. And it's obvious that you have no intention of letting us get away so easily, even if we comply with your demands."

The Phantom Thief looked at his partner from the corner of his eye, while maintaining his Poker Face. He really didn't know what the girl was trying to do, but his guess was that she was stalling for time. Perhaps she wanted to cause enough delay for the police to show up, or something else. Anything to give them an edge and that split-second chance to get rid of the gun trained on them. In that case, why not help out his dear sleuth by playing along?

Clearing his throat, KID began speaking. "No, honestly. I, for one, am curious. How did you manage to infiltrate the event, with all the security they had? I'm the so-called Phantom Thief, and yet, I had a difficult time figuring out an escape plan. Besides, if I'm dying tonight, I might as well die knowing how you managed what even I couldn't have done without disguising as Meitantei-chan here."

The Maestro looked back and forth between the two of them, a momentary silence falling upon the roof until his scratchy voice echoed across the empty vicinity.

"It was easy with the information my second-in-command gave me. I believe the Phantom Thief became well-acquainted with him at the Blue Birthday theft, when Snake warned you the second time to stay away from the Big Gems we planned to steal. Yet despite his tenacity and loyalty to our cause, I was already aware of Snake's incompetence after that botched heist. From there, it grew worse and worse, yet I simply couldn't allow him to die just yet. He knew KID better than anyone else in the Organization: his M.O. all the way down to the mechanics of his card gun. While I did allow him to stay within the ranks of my syndicate, I didn't allow him to come here tonight. I've come too far for everything to be ruined now, especially when I was looking forward to seeing Pandora itself in a civilized meeting between myself, Kudo Shinichi, and Rabbit. Though I suppose you, detective, know him as the antique dealer Ishikawa? Yes, he works for me, if that wasn't obvious enough. Once I had the information about the heist, the rest was easy. I pulled a few strings, put on little makeup and changed my clothes, then lo and behold I become the henchman I despise so much."

Then the Maestro paused for a moment, his beady eyes suggesting that he was remembering something. A memory, perhaps? "However, none of that matters now. Even if I had to orchestrate everything myself, I would do it ten times over. And my efforts have yielded fruit- the sweetest fruit of all my labour. Tonight, I shall finally hold Pandora in my hands. With its power, nothing shall stop me now. Bice will be with me again. She will be here, and she will see what I have done for her. Bice will be here again, just like she used to be. Oh, Bice, my dear..."

The dark-haired magician kept his Poker Face intact, albeit it was almost a difficult task at hearing a confession of motive from the puppeteer himself. "Resurrecting a loved one? I am surprised, Sir; with all of the atrocities you and your Organization have committed, I was under the impression that you'd use Pandora to manufacture immortality itself, make a profit to nations across the globe who want super soldiers in their arsenal or even a cure for an inoperable disease. After all, the value of money is equivalent to the value of life itself in this country."

The older man looked at the teenagers in front of him for a few seconds in silence. He blinked a few times, before shuddering deeply. No, it wasn't quite a shudder. He was still trembling, before suddenly jerking. He threw his head back, and his entire torso quaked with the intensity of his laughter. He was laughing, without a care in the world. A loud, raspy sound, as if his throat was hoarse from disuse. It evolved into howls, but his "amusement" showed no signs of stopping. However, there was a certain edge to it, one that did not accompany the laughter that ensued when someone made a particularly hilarious joke. This was closer to hysteria than anything else.

Shinichi felt a tremor crawl down her spine at hearing such a sound, all too aware just how much it would take to push someone to the brink of madness. The human mind was impregnable as it was fragile; even the simplest reason could drive an otherwise innocent person to murder, and hearing such logic from the suspects churned the detective's stomach no matter how many times she had solved as a case. Both as Kudo Shinichi, and the shadow of the Sleeping Kogoro.

The raven-haired teen flinched a little at the touch of silk gloves squeezing her hand tightly, but did not allow her surprise to be given away. It would all be over soon if things went according to plan.

Soon the man's laughter died down as suddenly as it had begun, and his gaze seemed even more crazed than it was just a few minutes ago.

"That had been her idea, you know. Make a profit from Pandora's tears, sell them to the highest bidder so the Organization could expand itself even further. She'd always been the pragmatic one between the two of us, had been since I took over the Organization as its leader. That's my Bice, such a good head on her shoulders. Always looking for the good of the Organization!

The Organization had been operating in America for many years, so when it was my turn to step up to the plate I had a little thought in my head: why not plant a seed in Japan? It was untainted soil, ripe for the taking and perfect to make some new friends in the government. Another syndicate thought the exact same thing, and look where it led them! My Bice did so much for the Organization, running its drug industry with an iron fist while she played a meek, simple-minded board member of a pharmaceutical company in the outside world. Oh, she fooled them so well, my Bice! Never would have suspected what that jumpy exterior hid.

Unlike most of women in the underworld, sows who'd amuse themselves at country clubs or extramarital affairs with younger men, my Bice was more refined in her vices. She adored history and would be buying antiques from auction-houses that had even the small inkling of mythological reference. She especially loved the tale of Pandora's Box, and one afternoon she came home with the biggest smile on her face, showing me several blueprints of a machine dating back to World War II; a machine that could remove the deadly toxins of a gem that granted immortality, a fantastical amulet that actually existed in the shadows of history! And that gem had been Pandora, the proof was in those papers! 'Think about', she said, 'If we have that gem in our hands, then anything is possible! We could cure cancer, even sell the very essence of immortality to the highest bidder! Your Organization, its legacy, would be secure for years to come!' "

The Maestro stopped himself for a moment before he shook his head in pity. "But, sadly, she couldn't see things my way, when I told her what I saw the future held. Time was our enemy, and both of us were only growing older. There was no one quite like her in the entire Organisation, none at all. And when I stepped down, there would be no one worthy of taking the reins. The Organization that both of us had poured our life's blood into, to get it to such heights, would crumble away. I warned her; I did. None of our children were worthy of inheriting our empire, and I would burn it down rather than hand it over to a spineless scoundrel who would tarnish it's honour, and the honour of my family. No, I couldn't let it come to that now, could I? The difference in our opinions grew worse, right to the point when I...when I took my Bice's life, in a fit of childish anger and my hands around her neck. At that moment, I knew what I had to do: I needed Pandora to bring Bice back to life. It's the only way I could make amends for what I'd done, but I couldn't do that in jail. So I burned our house down to make it look like an electrical fire, and took her body with me."

"So you did what you had to do." Shinichi asked, carefully selecting her words. "You had to find Pandora to apologize for what you've done, to the woman and partner that you love."

The Maestro's eyes glinted with an unidentifiable emotion. However, it didn't speak of anything good. KID felt his blood freeze in his veins at the dark look on the older man's face, as he straightened, completely alert once again. All traces of his previous behaviour had disappeared, save for the dark look in his eyes. "Bice may not have listened to me, but I know someone else who will listen to their partner. Kudo Shinichi, if you would do the honours. Talk to your partner, won't you? Tell the Kaitou KID, that he can either hand Pandora over to me right this moment, or lose his partner as I'd lost my Bice."

The safety of the gun was clicked off. The sound echoed around the roof, as threatening as the gunshot itself.

KID stared long and hard at the Maestro. In a way, he could understand why he'd done all of these terrible things for love. If KID had lost his rival in such a manner, he wouldn't know what to do. Hell, he might've gone and searched for Pandora with the purpose of seeing the detective's insufferable smirk one more time. He blinked once, then twice as another message from Jii came over the comms.

"What are you waiting for, girl? Tell your partner to make his choice. What will it be, hmm? His little detective, or the priceless gem he wants to keep so much he'd be willing to sacrifice your life for it?"

Shinichi looked at the Phantom Thief with wide,dark blue orbs. "K-KID, please d-don't do this. There has to be another way!"

"Unfortunately, there isn't another way. And for the record, I'd gone after this jewel for the thrill of a theft. It's a vice I live for, the game of cat and mouse, police versus criminal. It's too big for my jewelry box anyway. You want it, you got it." KID then pulled out Pandora from his pocket, subtly pressing a thumb on its side before he threw it towards the Maestro. "Here."

Snake's imposter easily caught the prize as it swiftly landed into his outstretched palm. Both of his hands quivered in excitement before using his teeth to pull of a leather glove. Even though KID had been so cooperative tonight, he wasn't going to take any chances. That was why he kept the gun trained on the Phantom Thief and his cohort. Holding up the jewel to the moonlight with his bare hand, a Cheshire-like grin stretched across his face as the gem glowed an eerie red. "Finally," he said. "Finally, after all of these years, I finally have Pandora in my grasp."

Once he had pocketed the precious stone inside his coat, the Maestro grinned, though a slightly unnerving one if you asked the monocle-wearing criminal. It almost looked like he would be laughing that insane laugh again. "I must thank you Kaitou KID, for being a good sport instead of being stubborn. It's so much easier to surrender than fight when the odds are stacked against you, isn't it?" The Maestro chuckled slightly at his words (what he found humorous in them, both the thief and detective could not fathom) as he took a step backwards towards the ledge. "And this is where I take my leave. Good-bye, Kaitou KID. It's been a fun game. And you're right; it is a shame that it had to be cut short under a full moon."

The moustached man then disappeared, allowing himself to fall from the roof with his arms spread like an eagle's wings. Seconds later, an all-too-familiar sound of a hang glider opening suddenly snapped the heavy silence in half. Both the Phantom Thief and Detective of the East watched their foe soar off into the night, his means of escape resembling a large and unseen raven.

With her small hand still coiled around his, Shinichi stole a glance in KID's direction. "Is it working?" Those three little words earned the young woman a shark-like grin from her companion, pulling out a remote control from his pants pocket to hold up in front of the full moon. There on its opaque screen was a tiny red dot, moving northwest from their location. "Of course~!" Just when he said that, a small beeping noise began to echo across the silent rooftop. "The tracking device is working, flawless as always~! Oh, and Jii's already 'in pursuit of KID', as he put it. Shouldn't take too long until it's all over, should it?"

Shinichi hummed in approval, and then asked him another question. "Why did you give into his demands so quickly? I thought our plan was dissuade him and then catch him off guard before he ran off with the gem." KID blinked at his detective before releasing a dramatic sigh.

"Oh Meitantei-chan," The Moonlight Magician began, "Sometimes all that seems good for the world isn't true in reality. I didn't know just how unhinged our dear friend would be after we've foiled his plans so many times, especially since the Volley Comet would be appearing any day now. And if he intended to use Pandora to resurrect his beloved Bice, there's no telling what could've pushed him right over the edge. It was a gamble I didn't want to partake in," KID paused for a second, and added in a much softer voice. "Plus...I really don't want to be sitting in the ER again because of my mistakes, Shin-chan. Once was enough for this gentleman thief, thank you."

Shinichi opened her mouth slightly to respond when her cell phone began to ring. Pulling it out, she glanced at the caller ID and pressed the receive button to answer it. "Yes?"

"Kudo-chan," Shinichi's ears perked at the unmistakable voice of Haibara Ai. "Professor Agasa and I are on our way home. Just wanted to call and say thanks for the evening as well the little gift you gave me. You really shouldn't have~!" The dark-haired sleuth felt her eye twitch at the upbeat note in the scientist's voice. This girl….

"You're welcome. Be safe and good luck on your vocabulary test tomorrow. We'll celebrate with a cake from your favorite cafe, okay?" Ignoring the indignant noise in the background that quickly followed with an old man trying to calm his little ward, Shinichi hung up. She turned to KID.

"They're safe and with Jii-san. The 'gift' I gave them is in good hands for now. So...what should we do now? It's all over, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid not Shin-chan," KID corrected as he suddenly dragged Shinichi to the other side of the rooftop, right behind the HVAC unit. "I'm certain that our dear friend left us a little present." Shinichi raised an eyebrow at the Phantom Thief.

"How sure are you that he'd sent his men to finish us off?"

KID shrugged, digging into his coat pocket. "Call it a gut feeling. And the Kaitou KID is never wrong about these sorts of things, is he?" The dark-haired teen rolled her eyes before blinking in surprise at the sudden weight pressed in both of her palms. KID's card gun. "Use it." The eccentric gentleman instructed, keeping his eyes on the door and not taking a refusal for an answer. Unfortunately for him, this young woman was Kudo Shinichi. Brilliant and bull-headed with an unhealthy dose of paranoia.

"No need. I figured I would need it for a situation like this." KID swiveled his head to argue when his gaze fell upon an ebony belt coiled around the sleuth's waist, something he hadn't seen until now. Seeing his curious gaze, Shinichi smirked.

"The Anywhere Dispensing Soccer Belt, with a slimmer design and upgraded system. Courtesy of Professor Agasa. I have to say, it's much better than the KID Killer's prototype." KID grinned. Well, at least he wouldn't be on the receiving end tonight.

Five minutes later the door to the rooftop slammed open, masked individuals dressed in black from top to bottom poured out across the vicinity. For an underground syndicate, they really did need to learn how to be less conspicuous. And expected the unexpected. It took the pair almost fifteen minutes to ambush and disarm the entire group; it was child's play, especially with a deadly combination of smoke grenade, flying soccer balls (once again, KID was happy that those flying devils aren't aimed at him), and a plethora of cards.

As they stood over their fallen opponents, tied up and gagged as a precaution, Kaitou KID's ear perked at the information he was receiving through the police comms. _"…Suspect is found roughly four blocks away from the scene where the heist took place...Missing jewel on their person. Requesting medical assistance and back-up immediately."_

A grin stretched across his face. Looks likes the professor's tranquilizer on the gem worked faster than I thought~! _Good thing our dear friend took off his glove to look at the fake Pandora or else it wouldn't have absorbed into the skin._ Kaitou KID then slid his left arm around Shinichi, pulling her small frame towards his larger one. "Now it's all over. Time to go home~!"

Shinichi looked at him in surprise. "How? The hotel is still swarmed with police and reporters, and Jii is with the other others." When she saw his smile become even wider, the sleuth felt her face turn pale.

"Kaitou KID, you are not suggesting that we - "

"Aw, come on Meitantei-chan, it'll be fun! Many would consider it an honor to share a hang-glider with the one and only Kaitou KID! Think of it as an award for all of your hard work~!"

"I'd like to keep my feet on the ground, thank you very much."

"Please~?"

"No."

"How about me buying you a large cake of any flavor you want, to sweeten the deal?"

Shinichi fidgeted. "...Even the coffee-flavored one that just came out? At the bakery on 34th Street?" The sleuth saw the magician stiffen at her words but quickly hid his distaste with a sunny disposition.

"Of course~! But we'd better get a move on or else they'll close up soon!"

"...Alright."

Grinning, the Phantom Thief unfurled his own hang-glider and made the necessary preparations for proper take off at the edge of the rooftop. Once everything was ready to go, he gestured Shinichi to come closer. Hooking one arm around her arms and the other under her pant-covered legs, KID jumped from his position and took off into the night. Good thing Jii had upgraded his hang-glider to be on auto-pilot before this heist. It definitely had come in handy.

Almost an hour later the pair returned to the Kuroba household, a smiling Shinichi holding a white box that contained the cake Kaito had promised after an exciting night with Professor Agasa and his ward. It took very so little to make his dear Shin-chan happy, and what he wouldn't do to protect that such an adorable expression. Sadly, the two of them were exhausted after having a slice of the (disgusting, in Kaito's respective opinion) coffee-flavored treat with some refreshments.

It didn't take Kaito very long to prepare the spare guest room for his tired Shin-chan, much to her groggy protesting. Nonetheless, he gently guided the young woman to her sleeping quarters and tucked Shinchi under the covers, pressing a kiss against her forehead as he wished her to have sweet dreams.

Once he had turned off the light and left the door slightly ajar, Kaito walked back into the kitchen when his cell phone rang. Not even bothering to look at the caller ID, he answered it. "How's everything, Jii?"

"Everything had gone according to plan, Bocchan. Professor Agasa and Haibara-kun are at the safehouse with me until tomorrow morning, including her gift from Kudo-chan. It seems that all that is left to tie up some loose ends."

Kaito hummed softly. "That's true. Get some rest Jii, and...thank you again for all of your help tonight. I'll call again in the morning to check on the three of you. Keep an eye and ear out for anything in case things go awry."

"Of course, Bocchan. Rest well." And then the line disconnected. Shrugging, Kaito cleaned up the kitchen and proceeded to get ready for bed himself. Tomorrow was Sunday, so at least he and Shin-chan would be able to sleep in and not worry about classes. As he walked down the hall to his own room, the youth with indigo eyes had a sudden thought.

 _Why not?_

With a mischievous grin stretched across his face, Kaito gave into his reckless impulse and snuck into Shin-chan's room for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cuddle with his adorable detective. Sliding underneath the covers, he gently held Shinichi's waist and pulled her close, inhaling the light lavender scent that perfumed her hair. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

.

.

.

"Kaito, please don't make me kick you off the bed."

* * *

 **And there we have it, the twenty-fifth act of** _Paper Faces_ **has concluded with an adorable KaiShin dose :) Please stay tuned for an epilogue as we see what will happen next to our beloved detective and Phantom Thief. Have a safe and happy holiday! :)**

 **Please feel free to review or PM me with any questions, comments, or constructive criticism. Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and added _Paper Faces_ to their alert lists. **

**See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


	27. Epilogue

With the exception of the plot and the original characters that are depicted in the story, the author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended on the franchise of **Detective Conan** that rightfully belong to its owner **Aoyama Gosho**.

I would like to thank **OnyxKatana** and all of my readers who have been on this journey since the very beginning. This story would have not been possible without your constant support, suggestions, and feedback. So without further ado, let the epilogue of _Paper Faces_ commence for an eager audience as an early Christmas present to all :)

Happy holidays!

* * *

Bleary blue eyes stared at the computer screen with equal parts of exhaustion, pride, and utter relief before their owner closed them. Stretching long-sleeved arms over her head, Kudo Shinichi leaned back against the leather chair she had been sitting on for the last three hours. Two-hundred-fifty pages, with an epilogue and a small biography on herself. All that was left is to finalize the jacket cover plus a third revision from her editor at the Nakamura Publishing Company.

After _The Witch's Banquet_ had been released in bookstores all over Japan three months ago, the hype for it slowly being built courtesy of the company's social media and marketing departments, an audience were already clamoring for another novel written by this up-and-coming author. Unfortunately for both the readers and Shinichi's agent, they had to wait until the dark-haired teen had gotten her priorities straightened out. That also included wrapping up loose ends in the Pandora investigation. But unlike an Agatha Christie or a Sherlock Holmes novel, this particular case was a lot messier for the sleuth to clean up than she had anticipated.

Following the arrest of Snake's imposter, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police conducted a background check via fingerprints and got a hit in the international database. The disguised criminal, whose real name will remain anonymous in any form of media until the investigation is officially closed, had been the prime suspect in an arson case fifteen years ago. The location? Los Angeles, just as the unhinged man had said on the rooftop that night with a silver gun aimed at Shinichi. The victim was thirty-three-year-old Beatrice 'Bice' Esposito, wife of the suspect. Autopsy reports from the LA Police Department also revealed that she'd been strangled, possibly before the fire. Furthermore, he and his "family" were linked to various burglaries across the country, though it was difficult to pin any evidence on them. Their pattern of criminal activity, however, secretly escalated once they arrived in Japan: transporting drugs from Tokyo to Osaka in trucks that belonged to a prospering soy sauce company.

And as it turned out, Ishikawa's financial records revealed that he was the largest stockholder of said establishment, receiving a significant amount of yen with an unknown resource that didn't match up with any numbers. Being an antique dealer was more of a hobby to him than an actual job, which explained why he was rarely seen or mentioned in the public. Unless, of course, he did so under the orders of the Organization. That much Haibara recalled from her own syndicate's brief interactions with this particular group,or at least the rumors that circulated around the men dressed in black.

Inspector Megure's department was still cross-referencing the ballistic analysis from the Kusanagi murder investigation, believing that Snake had been part of it. Shinichi could only pray that it would be enough to keep him and the Organization's mastermind behind bars without bail.

Just when her little grey cells could work any further, the detective's ear picked up the sound of a cooing dove. Rolling her eyes, Shinichi picked up the cell phone sitting beside her and saw an unread message. She tapped it twice and read it.

 _Kuroba Kaito: I'm outside. Ready to go Shin-chan? :)_

Oh, that's right. Today she would be going on an official, first date with Ekoda High's notorious prankster. With the exception of Jii, no one knew that the manuscript Shinichi had just finished typing could not have been possible without his constant feedback in between school and solving cases with Division One. Still, why would Kaito think that her new novel would even be remotely romantic? The premise was about a murder that occurred in a small village, its denizens believing that the unfortunate victim had paid the price for violating a forest that was supposedly haunted by the spirit of a vengeful mermaid. Unless…

Dark blue orbs widened to the size of dinner plates as a heavy weight suddenly pressed itself against her shoulders, followed by a loud whine ringing in Shinichi's ear.

"Shin-chan, come on~! We're gonna be late for the train if we don't get out of here soon!"

"...How did you get in my house?"

"I've got a spare key!"

"You mean the one that was made without my asking?"

"Shin-chan, must you be so cruel to me?!"

"I call it a necessary evil," Ignoring the dramatic gasp from Kaito, Shinichi quickly emailed the final draft to her agent before shutting down the laptop. She leaned back against the chair, brushing her nose against his. The sleuth smirked at the light blush that blossomed on Kaito's face.

"So? Shall we get going?"

The magician blinked in surprise before a dopey smile stretched across his face. "On second thought, I wouldn't really be averse to staying here if you're giving me more of those cuddles we talked about the other day." He suggested dreamily.

Shinichi rubbed her nose. "Oh dear, that is quite the conundrum. How will you ever manage?"

Kaito's lips widened to his signature shark-like grin, one that clearly showed he had an idea or two. "We~ell, I do have an idea that could work. We could go on that date _and_ you could give me those cuddles. What do you say, Shin-chan?"

Shinichi rolled her eyes and flicked his forehead. "I'd say I need a spray bottle to keep you under control."

Kaito visibly deflated, his entire being slumping in abject defeat. He turned away from Shinichi, his head hanging low and his messy bangs shadowing his saddened gaze. "Why must you hurt me so..."

Feeling a tiny twinge of pain and sympathy for the young man, Shinichi stood up from her chair and wrapped her arms around him, coiling them in an embrace with her chest pressed against his back. "Hey, Kaito?"

"Mhmm?"

Shinichi tightened her grip, feeling a little more guilty at hearing his dejected response. "Thank you so much for just being there in my life. For just being you. Both sides as Kuroba Kaito...and as Kaitou KID." She felt him momentarily tense at her words and then immediately relax. He wiggled a little to get her to loosen her grip on him, so that he could turn around to properly return the hug.

Burying his nose in her soft coffee-colored tresses, the prankster wrapped his arms around Shinichi's lithe frame; one was slithered around her waist while the other rested on the middle of her back. Kaito softly kissed her forehead, before pulling away to stare at the detective with a smile.

"Come on, let's go."

The young woman nodded. "Yep. One minute." Shinichi then scrambled around in her desk drawers, looking for something. A few seconds later, she triumphantly held up her prize between her index finger and thumb: a miniature replica of the Rainbow Maiden. Kaito had been meaning to give it to her for quite some time, and finally did so a few days after the Pandora heist.

Pinning it on, Shinichi gave herself a once-over in the mirror. Satisfied with her simple yet chic appearance, she turned to Kaito with a smile. The magician quirked an eyebrow. "All done?"

Shinichi's lips curled into a smirk. The same insufferable smirk that Kaito loved to the core. "Yeah, almost."

Before Kaito could say anything, Shinichi had crossed the two feet of distance between them, and was standing in front of him. Her eyes glinted with mischief and mirth, and Kaito wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She looked up at him, azure locking with indigo.

"I'm disappointed, you know. Calling yourself 'the Gentleman Thief' when you don't even know how to steal a kiss?" The dark-haired sleuth then pulled him down by the collar of his jacket and slanted her lips over his. Kaito's eyes went wide for a second, before falling closed and his arms automatically went around Shinichi. A few minutes later, Shinichi was the one to pull away. Kaito was for lack of a better word, completely dazed. "What was that..."

Shinichi smirked up at him, before playfully flicking his nose. "First date, isn't it? So, that was for good luck."

She then disentangled herself before picking up her bag and walking to the door. She pushed it open, and then looked back over her shoulder at Kaito, who was still stupefied. Her lips curled into that smirk he knew so well.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Kaito grinned. God, he loved this girl.

* * *

 **And there we have it, the long-awaited conclusion to** _Paper Faces_ **! :) I hope everyone has enjoyed this tumultuous quest of heists, whodunnits, and teenage hormones. The question now is, what should I write about next? Decisions, decisions, though I suppose only time shall tell :)**

 **Once again, a big shout-out to everyone who has supported this story especially to OnyxKatana, Vivian Gray, and J0kersGirl. Thank you so much, I truly could not have made it this far as both a writer and person without these readers as well as everyone else who has taken the time to dive into this twisted tale. What did you think of** _Paper Faces_ **as a whole? Good? Or do you think there were some areas that might have made the reading experience even better? I'd love to hear your thoughts, constructive criticism, and suggestions for another story via a review! :)**

 **See you next illusion. -** **(KID caricature)**


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